Success! No wild orcas at Sochi! Sign the petition to the IIAPA and SeaWorld for them to be returned to the wild 5FEB14

VICTORY, sort of! This update from SumOfUS, and I hope you will sign this petition because it was public pressure that stopped these orcas from being displayed at the Sochi Winter Olympics, now our voices are needed to have them returned to the wild.....
My earlier post on this campaign is Demand that White Sphere drops its plan to display the orcas at Sochi 2014 21JAN & 4FEB14 http://bucknacktssordidtawdryblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/demand-that-white-sphere-drops-its-plan.html


SeaWorld has the chance to do something right.
News just in -- the two wild killer whales captured by White Sphere will not be displayed during the Sochi Olympics. 
But the orcas are still destined for other aquariums and shows. Tell SeaWorld and the IIAPA to pile on the pressure, and stop their association with White Sphere. 


Great news! The President of the Sochi Olympic Committee has just confirmed that the two wild orcas captured by White Sphere will not be displayed during the Sochi Olympics.
But this fight isn’t over. Whale and Dolphin Conservation believe that White Sphere is responsible for the capture of 8 wild orcas in the past year. The 2 that were bound for the Sochi Olympics are still in Moscow. They are still destined to be shipped off to another dolphinarium in Russia or China. They will still be forced to participate in live shows and be kept in ridiculously tiny metal tanks.
The physical and mental health of these orcas is in danger. We have to ramp up the pressure on White Sphere, and we think we know how. White Sphere is a member of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IIAPA), the world’s largest trade association for amusement parks and aquariums. So is SeaWorld. We want the IIAPA and SeaWorld to expect better from their members and partners.
Tell the IIAPA and SeaWorld to boot White Sphere out of the Association, unless it returns the captured orcas to the wild.
Being booted out of the IIAPA could be a serious wake-up call for White Sphere. The IIAPA provides White Sphere with links to suppliers and partners around the world, as well as advice on how to improve efficiency, marketing, safety, and profitability. Above all, the IIAPA gives White Sphere a veneer of credibility. Without IIAPA membership, White Sphere could be exposed as the cowboy outfit it really is.
And SeaWorld has good reason to speak out. SeaWorld has been facing increasing pressure after the documentary Blackfish came out last year, alleging troublesome practices involving its captive killer whales. Now is the perfect time for SeaWorld to stand up and prove its ethical stance, by refusing to be associated with White Sphere -- a company that has captured 8 orcas from the wild in one year alone.
Demand that the IIAPA and SeaWorld not work with White Sphere any longer, until it returns the wild orcas to the ocean.
Russia issues the permits for wild orca capture, but just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean it’s right. The US hasn’t issued a permit for the capture of a wild orca since 1989. That’s how dated this practice truly is.
Hundreds of thousands of us have protested the display of the wild orcas at the Sochi Olympics, and we won. Now let's aim higher, and stand up for all the wild orcas at risk by White Sphere's despicable behaviour.
Thanks for all that you do,
Hanna, and the rest of us at SumOfUs.

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More information:
‘Blackfish’ glitch: Did plan to fly orcas to Sochi for the Olympics get caught up in Moscow?, Raw Story, 16 January
Killer whales cruelly snared by hunters will be put on display at Russia's Sochi Winter Olympics, Mirror, 12 January
SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.