I don't know whether to sign this petition. :-( [View all]

[MoonRiver]

The petition asks SeaWorld to stop drugging/tranquilizing their orca slaves. While I adamantly and passionately agree that no orca should be a slave performer at SeaWorld or any other marine animal amusement park, part of me feels these poor souls probably should be drugged to make their hellish lives bearable

Don't know what to do.

A recently discovered court document filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice reveals that SeaWorld's trainers give their orcas the psychoactive drug benzodiazepine, which includes the medications Valium and Xanax.

The document states that trainers administered these drugs to "mellow" orcas to "take pressure" off them when kept in unnaturally close quarters with other orcas. The ultimate goal is to make trainers' lives easier when forcing these animals to live in confinement and perform tricks to entertain Sea World clientele.

The misery orcas endure in captivity is well documented. Living in confinement frustrates these intelligent animals, causing them to self-mutilate, attack their trainers and lash out against audience members. Several trainers have been killed by stressed out orcas.

Giving orcas drugs to force them to live and perform in an unnatural way is unethical. Please sign the petition to urge Jim Atchison to ban the practice of giving orcas drugs at SeaWorld!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/887/493/544/seaworld-stop-giving-drugs-to-orcas/?z00m=20962787