Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours has removed dog team excursions from its site and no longer offers swimming activities with captive dolphins.
According to a press release from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization, the sea cruise, river and land tour company has confirmed the abandonment of these activities.
PETA says it has spoken with Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours about the organization’s concerns regarding dog teaming.
Dogs used in this industry “find themselves treated like disposable material,” PETA President Tracy Reiman said in a statement.
She said PETA is urging other companies in the industry to follow Scenic’s lead and reminding travelers to avoid activities based on animal exploitation.
Dogs used for harnessing spend most of their lives tied to metal poles or makeshift shelters, according to PETA.
“Like any dog, they suffer physical and mental distress when they live isolated, tied up, and confined to a few feet to sleep, eat, drink and relieve themselves,” the organization says.
Swimming with dolphin programs involve animals confined in bare pools or developed lagoons. PETA says many dolphins die prematurely due to the stress of extreme captivity.
A report released a few years ago by World Animal Protection indicated that misinformed tourists fuel a multibillion-dollar industry based on cruelty to dolphins.
“Millions of animal lovers are being told that shows and experiences involving dolphins sold by some of the largest tourism companies are cruelty-free, educational and beneficial for conservation,” the report claimed. Behind the Smile. “The reality goes in the opposite direction. The industry makes huge profits from the cruel captivity of dolphins used for entertainment. »
Captured from the wild, subjected to captive breeding and forced to live in featureless tanks, dolphins are said to suffer mistreatment at all stages, according to the report, which adds that facilities often make “false or exaggerated” claims about their supposed benefits for conservation, education or research.
In their natural habitat, dolphins roam freely over 60 km of ocean. In captivity, they find themselves in concrete tanks up to 200,000 times smaller, exposed to infections and chemicals, sometimes even medicated to endure this environment, reducing their movements to just a few feet.
Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours joins a growing list of companies distancing themselves from dog teams, including Costco, Maxwell House, Nestlé, Pizza Hut, Safeway, State Farm and Wells Fargo.
Several major companies have also stopped offering dolphin interactions, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Tripadvisor, Viking Cruises and Virgin Voyages.
