Expedia Group confirmed it has listened to World Animal Protection supporters and has finally decided to end its support for whale and dolphin interactions and circus-style performances by prohibiting the sale of them via its website.
This long-awaited change of direction from Global online travel company Expedia Group is a testament to the perseverance of over 350,000 World Animal Protection supporters who have been campaigning tirelessly on this issue since 2019 and throughout the global pandemic, keeping up the pressure on the travel giant to do the right thing.
“This is a huge step towards our goal of ending dolphin cruelty,” said Ben Pearson, Interim Country Director, World Animal Protection Australia.
“We want this to be the last generation of whales and dolphins suffering in captivity for entertainment.”
“For too long, dolphins, whales and other cetaceans have been forced to perform and live for 50 years in small barren tanks. The travel industry makes huge profits from this and fuels the cruelty.
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“This latest move by the world’s largest travel company Expedia Group is a positive one, but there is still work to do.
“As public acceptability on keeping dolphins captive for entertainment decreases, we’re calling on the Queensland Government and Sea World to end captive dolphin breeding and ensure the current generation of dolphins at Sea World are the last.
“The cruel commercial exploitation of dolphins and other wildlife has no place in modern society. Dolphins are wild animals, not entertainers,” he concluded.
World Animal Protection and its supporters say they will not stop campaigning to stop the cruel commercial exploitation of dolphins and other wildlife by tourism and other industries that profit from their suffering.
Expedia’s new policy states ‘We prohibit activities that feature interactions with or performances by dolphins, whales, and other cetaceans. Seaside sanctuaries that provide captive animals with a permanent seaside living environment are allowed if they are accredited and do not feature interactions or performances.
We’re pretty sure that whales, dolphins and other cetaceans in the wild around the world are jumping for joy at the news.
Learn more about Expedia Group’s updated animal welfare policy here.
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