Penguins at 30,000 feet?!
November 18th, 2006 by admin
On Friday, the Orlando Sentinel’s “Tourism Central Florida” blog featured a curious story about a Delta flight from Washington, D.C. to Orlando. At one point during the flight, two SeaWorld trainers left their seats and walked down the aisles with two penguins! According to writer Beth Kassab, passengers were surprised but, “No one was allowed to touch the penguins.”
What were penguins doing on an airplane? The previous night, the National Wildlife Federation held its annual awards dinner in Washington, DC. The evening was hosted by the notorious Jack Hanna, and featured the two penguins.
We know that SeaWorld is an unethical corporation, willing to loan its animals out as props for almost any occassion (in 2005, ARFF’s efforts led to the cancellation of two events in central Florida that were to feature penguins from SeaWorld). But we were a little surprised that the National Wildlife Federation would stoop so low.
Please contact the National Wildlife Federation and ask them not to include exotic animals in future events. Transportation to and from the event, separation from normal social groups, and unfamiliar surroundings likely resulted in extreme stress for these animals.
Submit comments through their website: http://www.nwf.org/contact/, or phone: (800) 822-9919.