“Dolphins and whales who must carry out their forced pregnancies is disrespectful to these forms of intelligent life, heedless of these wonderful animals’ rights, and just plain wrong.”

American singer-songwriter Joan Jett has slammed SeaWorld for its ‘repulsive and indefensible sexual abuse of whales and dolphins’.

The legendary musician – who maintains a “nearly vegan diet”– teamed up with animal rights charity PETA to condemn the cruel practices of the marine amusement park.

Jett attended SeaWorld’s virtual annual meeting of shareholders on PETA’s behalf and asked: “When will SeaWorld end its sordid breeding program?”

According to the vegan charity, SeaWorld, despite public outrage, continues to forcibly breed bottlenose dolphins and beluga whales in order to birth generations of animals who then suffer in cramped tanks, deprived of any semblance of a natural life.

It added that female dolphins are routinely drugged and impregnated to carry out forced pregnancies. Some of the helpless animals endure this process repeatedly, only for their babies to die or be taken away and shipped off to other marine prisons.

‘Disrespectful, heedless and just plain wrong’

“We can all agree that sexually abusing dolphins and whales who must carry out their forced pregnancies is disrespectful to these forms of intelligent life, heedless of these wonderful animals’ rights, and just plain wrong,” Jett argued at the meeting.

This isn’t the first time the amusement park has come under fire in recent years for its terrible treatment of animals.

While sensitive marine mammals should be swimming dozens of miles a day with their family pods, exploring their vast ocean home, and maintaining close relationships within their dynamic social structures, approximately 140 dolphins are crammed together into just seven small tanks, where they suffer from the stress of years of intensive confinement.

The lack of space and confinement often leads to many animals growing increasingly agitated and aggressive resulting in fights and injuries. More than 40 orcas, 300 other dolphins and whales, 400 pinnipeds, and countless other animals have died in SeaWorld’s tiny tanks.

Is Joan Jett vegan?

Jett has been a longtime animal rights advocate and yes! a vegan as well.

The punk icon has worked with numerous animal rights charities to expose the horrors of animal agriculture and advocate the health benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

Joan started following a strict vegetarian diet in the 80’s. She later went vegan after reading John Robbin’s “Diet For a New America”.

“Twenty years ago I thought: ‘What’s the difference between eating a bloody steak and killing my dog, slitting him open and roasting him?’ I’ve always loved animals but it was around the late 80s that I realised I had to go vegetarian,” she said in an interview with the Guardian.

• Read: Ex SeaWorld orca trainer urges Brits to ‘think twice before paying to see marine animals performing tricks’

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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