IRVINE – UCI’s student government will stop selling tickets to San Diego’s SeaWorld on Monday, citing what the student government’s president said is the theme park’s inhumane treatment of orca whales.
The ban by the Associated Students of UC Irvine, which sells discounted tickets for several major theme parks to students, comes two years after the release of “Blackfish,” a documentary critical of how SeaWorld cares for the animals.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a while,” said Reza Zomorrodian, president of the Associated Students. “It’s something we’ve had full intention of doing. My personal view is that I see SeaWorld as a circus. … It’s basically for entertainment.”
Zomorrodian made the decision to stop selling SeaWorld tickets Thursday, after consulting with his four-member cabinet. He said they were all in agreement.
Members of PETA2, a student affiliate of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have spoken out on campus for months against the sale of the tickets, Zomorrodian said.
Aimée Jeansonne Becka, a SeaWorld spokeswoman, said the theme park adheres to a high standard of care with its animals and is one of the most respected zoological institutions in the world.
“It’s disappointing that this student organization would have been influenced by animal-rights propaganda, rather than by the incredible efforts by our animal-care team,” she said. “In fact, SeaWorld’s animal-rescue team has worked around the clock caring for more than 700 sea lions found stranded on the California coast in need of rehabilitation.”
Zomorrodian declined an invitation to visit SeaWorld, where the allegations made by groups such as PETA would have been addressed, Jeansonne Becka said.
“I think I would have seen a precise image of what they wanted me to see,”Zomorrodian said.
Many students interviewed on Friday were‘t aware of the ticket-sale ban or were apathetic toward it.
“I honestly didn’t know much about the decision,” senior Erik Johnson said. “I didn’t really care.”
Nathaniel Pueva, a junior, said he didn’t know about the ban but has purchased discount tickets for other attractions from the Associated Students.
“It seems like an unethical practice to have an animal out of its natural habitat,” Pueva said. “There’s other ways we can find entertainment.”
Contact the writer: 714-704-3730 or lponsi@ocregister.com
