The letter was addressing a shareholder proposal made last December by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which asked that SeaWorld prohibit trainers from riding on dolphins’ backs and standing on their faces. AdvertisementA trainer hitches a ride on a dolphin during a Dolphin Days show at SeaWorld in San Diego. David Koontz, spokesman for the San Diego park, said Thursday that the act of trainers standing astride the dolphins was phased out late last year. In response to SeaWorld correspondence with the SEC stating the company’s intention to no longer allow trainers to ride atop dolphins, PETA has decided to withdraw its shareholder proposal. Unlike the in-water interaction that the SeaWorld trainers have regularly had with the dolphins during the park performances, the orca shows long ago banished trainers from cavorting with the killer whales in the water.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 07, 2020 01:30 UTC