Thomas Cook to stop selling trips to SeaWorld over animal welfare concerns

Thomas Cook will stop selling trips to animal parks that keep orcas
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Ella Wills29 July 2018

Holiday firm Thomas Cook has announced it will stop selling trips to animal parks that keep killer whales.

The decision will see the tour operator stop selling tickets to SeaWorld and Loro Parque, in Tenerife, as a result.

Thomas Cook said 90 per cent of its customers were concerned about animal welfare, and the decision was made following evidence from animal welfare specialists.

The announcement was made by the company's boss Peter Fankhauser in a blog posted on Sunday.

"This was not a decision we took lightly," he wrote.

"We have actively engaged with a range of animal welfare specialists in the last 18 months, and taken account of the scientific evidence they have provided.

"We have also taken feedback from our customers, more than 90 per cent of whom told us that it was important that their holiday company takes animal welfare seriously.

"That has led us to the decision we have taken today."

From next summer, the travel agent will no longer offer tickets to any attractions where captive orcas are kept.

Mr Frankauser said: "We respect and applaud the work that has been done, and we will work with both over the next 12 months to prepare for our exit.

"We will also continue to work ourselves to identify more sustainable alternatives."

The move follows a public backlash towards keeping killer whales in captivity that gathered pace after the release of the 2013 documentary Blackfish.

The film argued that orcas held in captivity become more aggressive towards humans and each other.

Reporting by Press Association.

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