Visiting the beluga exhibit two years ago, I was horrified by the almost catatonic state these magnificent animals are reduced to in confinement. Other marine exhibits around the world are waking up to the inhumanity of keeping highly sentient cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in concrete pens for life. Please tell the Georgia Aquarium to release these animals back into their natural habitat. We the undersigned affirm that unless they have by January 1, 2015 stated their intention to free all cetaceans as soon as possible, we will do everything in our power to promote a total boycott of their organization beginning on that date.
Why is this important?
Beluga whales are highly intelligent animals whose home range is many hundreds of square miles. They communicate over these great distances by means of sonar. Confining them to tiny concrete tanks is tantamount to a lifetime of torture: forced to swim in endless repetitive circles, their calls bounce back at them in a horrifying echo chamber. Eventually they exhibit signs of hopelessness and psychosis.
