Petition · past parliament
Stop captivity of whales in small closures
Rejected
14 signatures
What the petition asks
At least 156+ orcas (whales) have been put into captivity since 1961. Over 165 have now died in captivity. SeaWorld holds 22 orcas in its three parks in the United States. At least forty-eight orcas have died at SeaWorld due to captivity.
BBC news quotes “They are too large to be kept in captivity”
“They are not fed the food they have evolved to prefer, or bred with the same type”
“They cannot behave in the natural ways they have evolved”
The film ‘blackfish’ shows clips and has interviews with people who have worked/working with whales and have explained and detailed how poorly whales have been and are being treated in the past. In reality to this day and near future whales are still being held in captivity for entertainment purposes not for healthcare.
“They are not fed the food they have evolved to prefer, or bred with the same type”
“They cannot behave in the natural ways they have evolved”
The film ‘blackfish’ shows clips and has interviews with people who have worked/working with whales and have explained and detailed how poorly whales have been and are being treated in the past. In reality to this day and near future whales are still being held in captivity for entertainment purposes not for healthcare.
Why it was rejected
It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.
We're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do. As far as we know, there aren't any orcas in captivity in the UK.
We think you might be concerned about orcas in captivity in other countries. The UK Parliament can only make laws that affect the UK.
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do. For example, you could ask the UK Government to raise this issue with the governments of countries where orcas are kept in captivity.
We think you might be concerned about orcas in captivity in other countries. The UK Parliament can only make laws that affect the UK.
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do. For example, you could ask the UK Government to raise this issue with the governments of countries where orcas are kept in captivity.
Timeline
| 30 Jul 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 3 Aug 2018 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
14
Status
Rejected
Rejected
3 Aug 2018
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.