British Travel Company to Stop Offering Trips to Parks with Killer Whales

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Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. harbor / ˈhɑɚbɚ / (v) – to shelter or protect someone/something in a certain place
    Example:

    The zoo harbors animals from all over the world.


  2. captivity / kæpˈtɪvəti / (n) – the condition of being kept or forced to stay in a place without being able to leave
    Example:

    Some animals are taken from the wild and forced into captivity.


  3. mistreatment / ˌmɪsˈtriːtmənt / (n) – the act of treating someone or something badly or abusively
    Example:

    Mistreatment of pets, such as hurting and not feeding them, is illegal.


  4. backlash / ˈbækˌlæʃ / (n) – a negative reaction, usually from a big group of people
    Example:

    The zoo received backlash after people learned that it hurts its animals.


  5. under (one’s) wing / ˈʌndər wɪŋ / (idiom) – in the care, protection, or guidance of someone or something
    Example:

    I took the new employee under my wing to teach him how to train animals.


Article

Read the text below.

One of the biggest holiday firms in the United Kingdom will stop selling tickets to animal parks that harbor orcas, or killer whales, due to animal welfare concerns.


Last July, the company Thomas Cook announced that beginning next summer, it will no longer offer trips to SeaWorld and Loro Parque [lo-ro par-ke]. The former is a marine park in Florida, United States of America, while the latter is a zoo in Tenerife [ten-uh–RIF], Spain.


Thomas Cook arrived at this decision after over 90% of its guests said they prefer a holiday company that considers the welfare of animals in parks. The company also found scientific evidence proving animal cruelty in parks. Moreover, both SeaWorld and Loro Parque were not able to fully comply with the Association of British Travel Agents’ guidelines for animal welfare.


More people have become concerned about orcas in captivity after a documentary called Blackfish was released in 2013. This documentary shows how mistreatment can cause drastic changes in the behavior of orcas. Tilikum, the featured orca in the documentary, became violent toward humans after being confined and isolated in a marine park for many years.


After the documentary’s release, SeaWorld and Loro Parque were among the parks that faced backlash for their captive orcas.


Despite Thomas Cook’s decision, SeaWorld stated that it will continue its operations with the animals currently under its wing. The marine park also argues that its visitors have personally witnessed the attention and protection that its animals receive.


Likewise, Loro Parque will continue enhancing the welfare of animals and promoting the diversity of creatures around the world.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you agree with Thomas Cook’s decision to stop supporting SeaWorld and Loro Parque? Why or why not?
• What do you think will be the impact of the decision on animal parks like SeaWorld and Loro Parque? Explain.

Discussion B

• What is the importance of animal parks?
• In what ways can animal parks promote animal welfare? Discuss.