Amaya the beautiful killer whale was only
6 years old when she died. That's compared to the average 46 to 50 years that female killer whales should truly live. And her last memories are of being trapped in a facility, surrounded by humans, while her liberty and life were siphoned away -- at a
SeaWorld park in San Diego.
Sign the petition to demand that SeaWorld send all of its whales to a reputable sanctuary, now!This isn't the first time SeaWorld has been implicated in a captive orca's untimely demise. In Amaya's case, SeaWorld isn't even sharing yet what led to her death -- leaving her tragic ending shrouded in mystery. All we know so far is that apparently she "began showing signs of illness" in mid-August, and declined "rapidly" after that point, despite veterinary treatment.
Before Amaya,
upwards of six other killer whales, dolphins, and sea lions died
in just the past year alone at various SeaWorld facilities. This includes Skyla the whale in March and Ula the whale in August of this year. It also includes the newborn bottlenose dolphin Blue in August 2020, Olivia the sea lion in September 2020, 20-year-old César the dolphin in the spring, and Robin the dolphin in May. And now, of course, Amaya as well.
Luckily, because of wonderful activists around the world, SeaWorld was forced to stop its breeding program in 2016, and also announced it would end its killer whale performances. But that doesn't mean the animals are free.
Amaya tragically outlived her mother and father whom she left behind along with 7 other whales at the San Diego location of SeaWorld. Those living beings are still suffering from the same captivity that plagued Amaya the entirety of her life, since she never knew the open waters.
Time and time again, SeaWorld has shown it can't be trusted to properly care for these wild creatures in the tiny confines of its little amusement parks. We can't let any more whales suffer at SeaWorld.
Tell SeaWorld it's time to rehome all their remaining living whales by sending them to a safe and reputable sanctuary, where they can finally live out their days in peace!