Skip to content
All news
  • All news
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Corporates
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
  • Stranding
  • Whale watching
Gray whale

UN adopts High Seas Treaty to protect the ocean

At the UN 'High Seas Treaty' negotiations in New York, a historic vote for the...

Hopes raised for whale and dolphin protection after last minute landmark nature agreement

WDC's Ed Goodall (far right) at COP15 with Thérèse Coffey (centre) UK Secretary of State...

WDC orca champion picks up award

Beatrice Whishart MSP picks up her Nature Champion award The Scottish Environment LINK, an organisation...

Large number of dolphins moved to Abu Dhabi marine park

Up to 24 captive bottlenose dolphins have reportedly been sent to a new SeaWorld theme...

Mixed messages from Virgin on whale and dolphin captivity

US airline Virgin America, which was founded by Richard Branson, has announced that it is to drop a scheme that allows its customers to earn points toward travel when they spend money at SeaWorld parks. Virgin America, still part owned by Branson, is the latest in a line of big company names to cut certain ties with SeaWorld following global public backlash against keeping whales and dolphins in captivity. Recently, both Southwest Airlines and student travel firm, STA both announced changes in the their relationship with SeaWorld.

Interestingly, the move by Virgin America comes after WDC’s recent campaign asking Virgin Holidays to stop selling trips to parks like SeaWorld was followed by a consultation period by Virgin of several months during which the holiday company reflected on its involvement with captivity theme parks that confine whales and dolphins in small tanks for so-called ‘entertainment’. Sadly, the statement from Richard Branson issued after that consultation was disappointing. In it Virgin Holidays said that it was to continue to work with aquariums, such as SeaWorld. Oddly, it seems Virgin America doesn’t want to!