PETA buys stock in Seaworld (yep, you read that right)

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**MrMoustaffa**

... And yes, they're doing exactly what you think they're doing with it.

http://www.money.cnn.com/2013/04/24/news/companies/seaworld-peta/index.html?iid=HP_LN&hpt=hp_t3

Free Shamu!
That's the message from PETA, which bought shares in SeaWorld's IPO to pressure the amusement park chain to free its "enslaved" killer whales, starting with the venerable orca Corky. Corky is one of several whales that performs under the stage name "Shamu" in SeaWorld's three amusement parks around the U.S.

David Perle, spokesman for the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, said his organization bought 80 shares worth a total of $2,273.70 when SeaWorld went public on April 19.
According to the animal rights group, this is "the smallest number of shares necessary to give us the right to attend and speak at annual meetings, and to submit shareholder resolutions asking for policy changes." PETA said that its "first order of business" as a SeaWorld (SEAS) shareholder is to demand the release of its orcas, starting with Corky, "who has been enslaved by SeaWorld for 44 years."
PETA said that it wants to educate other stockholders about how SeaWorld's parks "tear orcas and dolphins away from their homes and families and imprison them in minuscule concrete tanks, where they suffer from captivity-induced stress and illness."

SeaWorld spokesman Fred Jacobs was having none of it, citing PETA's "strategy of attempting to disrupt publically traded businesses through protests, publicity stunts, and shareholder resolutions."
Jacobs added that Corky and the other animals under SeaWorld's care "live in state-of-the art facilities and are cared for by highly skilled zoological professionals," in accordance with state and federal laws, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Animal Welfare Act.
Jacobs said his company will try to serve PETA as it would any other shareholder by creating investor value. But he said that PETA's views are "well outside the mainstream," and that their stock-buying strategy is an attempt to disrupt company practices.

From there it devolves into the two sides bad mouthing each other.

Essentially, they bought the bare minimum needed to be able to attend stockholders meetings. What are they going to do at stockholders meetings? If your answer was "demand the freeing of the whales at every shareholders meeting," congrats! You win a 3lb package of veal.*

The best part though is that Seaworld has stated they'll try and treat PETA just like every other shareholder and earn them money. Those shareholders meetings are going to get very annoying with PETA reps protesting at every single one

I'll edit in some text here in a sec, I'm on my phone right now so I can't copy the article till I get on my laptop.

So does anyone else find it funny that PETA invested 25k into SeaWorld just to protest shareholders meetings?

*You may pick up your veal at the nearest butcher's shop for however much they want for it.

**Frazzled**

SOunds like shareholder meeting WIN to me!

**BlapBlapBlap**

I would care, but it's PETA. When was the last time they didn't fail spectacularly?

It's like watching a fat kid belly flop into a pool, over and over again. Each time it hurts them and more people laugh at it.

**Ouze**

Shrug, that's how the system works. I literally cannot count how many times on these very fora it was suggested gamers band together and buy up GWS shares to try and change the company from the inside. At least PETA put their money where their mouths are.

FWIW, and I resent that I have to agree with PETA yet again, but I also don't think it's appropriate to keep whales in amusement parks as entertainment.

**purplefood**

When do I get my veal?
Also if I was shareholder at Seaworld i'd probably shout 'Free the Whales' every now and then for fun... It's kinda catchy... or clichéd... or both.

**Mr. Burning**

purplefood wrote:
When do I get my veal?
Also if I was shareholder at Seaworld i'd probably shout 'Free the Whales' every now and then for fun... It's kinda catchy... or clichéd... or both.

Feth that, I'd be trying to promote shark farming for their fins, stuffs worth a mint. I'd also propose serving up deceased fish or mammals in the restaurants and or cafes at Seaworld. That'd save a few bucks I'd wager.

I'd be COO in no time at all and i'd have a cool Apple sized 140 billion warchest at my disposal to aid all those bluefin tuna...into cans.

**Da Boss**

Leaving aside my intense dislike for PETA, keeping intelligent mammals like whales and dolphins in captivity is really a complex moral issue. It does deserve debate.

On the one hand, charismatic macrofauna like whales, dolphins, pandas and tigers are great "spokesmen" for the natural world. Their beauty and majesty helps to let people, especially kids in urban environments, connect with and feel something for the wonder of nature, making people more predisposed towards conservation efforts. By having a charismatic poster animal for a campaign, conservationists can more effectively raise money for less charismatic but more ecologically vital/threatened species.

Additionally, if a species is close to extinction in the wild, keeping them in captivity can act as a safety net, and may allow a successful reintroduction at some point in the future.

So there are fairly decent reasons for doing it.

However, having seen a few mentally damaged polar bears and chronically depressed tigers in the various zoos I've visited, it is pretty damn heartbreaking to say the least, and definitely a moral grey area worthy of constant re-evaluation.

**MeanGreenStompa**

If they wanted to save the whales, they should have used that money to by a Klingon Bird-Of-Prey and travelled back in time to the 80s, like any respectable person would.

**Da Boss**

From what I know about it (admittedly not a whole lot) I had thought that several of the whale species were recovering slowly from their low numbers.

**Dreadclaw69**

Da Boss wrote:
Leaving aside my intense dislike for PETA, keeping intelligent mammals like whales and dolphins in captivity is really a complex moral issue. It does deserve debate.

That may be so, but how much debate will we get from a publicity seeking organisation like PETA?

**CptJake**

Think they will have some Icelandic whalers cater the shareholder meetings?

**Soladrin**

What's next? Japan buying shares so they can do harpoon shows?

**Frazzled**

PETA should have bought a destroyer, refitted it and gone raiding after the Japanese "scientific" whaling fleet. Heck I'd give money for that.

**SilverMK2**

Frazzled wrote:
PETA should have bought a destroyer, refitted it and gone raiding after the Japanese "scientific" whaling fleet. Heck I'd give money for that.

I think you are mistaking PETA for an organisation that actually cares about animals in any way...

**Ahtman**

Ouze wrote:
FWIW, and I resent that I have to agree with PETA yet again, but I also don't think it's appropriate to keep whales in amusement parks as entertainment.

If it helps you feel better there are a lot of organizations that aren't PETA that are against such things. PETA just tends to be the loudest, and often does more harm to anything they touch then help. The ASPCA and American Humane Society are good organizations that could always use more help, but PETA taints the idea of animal philanthropy to such an extent that it turns away people that may otherwise be inclined to pitch in on occasion are completely turned off.

**Frazzled**

Good points Ahtman.

I sitll would like to see a destroyer or maybe a United States class sailing frigate firing a full broadside into the Japanese fleet until they strike their colors....*

*Ok before someone gets anal I don't really want somone to go out and sink the Japanese fleet off Antarctica....

**Ouze**

And, as inclined as I am to support them, I don't think the practice is ending any time soon - I think they are just too popular. People like seeing intelligent and engaging animals like killer whales and are disinclined to think about the fact it's like keeping a puppy in closet for a huge chunk of it's entire life. I have no problem with smaller animals for whom we can adequately replicate their home environments and who we can fill their social needs for (like sea lions and dolphins) or other large marine animals and fish who are antisocial, such as sharks.

I know this is going to sound awful; I don't know how to soften it any, and I'm not one of those misanthropes who loves animals more than people, but... I sort of hope that a few more trainers get accidentally drowned by cetaceans and it ends the practice, because I think it's the only thing that will.

**LordofHats**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
If they wanted to save the whales, they should have used that money to by a Klingon Bird-Of-Prey and travelled back in time to the 80s, like any respectable person would.

Exalted. And I don't give a gak about the whales.

**MrMoustaffa**

Ouze wrote:
Shrug, that's how the system works. I literally cannot count how many times on these very fora it was suggested gamers band together and buy up GWS shares to try and change the company from the inside. At least PETA put their money where their mouths are.

FWIW, and I resent that I have to agree with PETA yet again, but I also don't think it's appropriate to keep whales in amusement parks as entertainment.

Oh yes absolutely, and the idea of buying shares in a company to get a voice isn't a bad one. What I'm saying is that having PETA buy shares for Seaworld in order to release the whales is like letting /tg/* buy shares in GW to lower prices. It's doomed to make the reasonable people on our side look like idiots and just gives them ammunition to use against us.

If a more sane organization was the one doing this, I'd probably applaud them, because then at least you'd know they're protesting reasonably and would probably try to come up with ways for Seaworld to stay profitable while letting the whales be free (refocusing the company if you will) Instead, we're going to have an organization that will show up to every meeting, shout "FREE DAH WALES!" till they're blue in the face, and then are dragged kicking and screaming from the room.

I would love to see ASPCA or the American Humane Society try this tactic, because they might actually know what it takes to work.

*I will admit I spend time on /tg/ but mainly only on "help me with my list" threads and the Flames of War one

**Ouze**

Yes - that would be awesome. Instead we have these PETA poopwizards who are going to sound so ludicrous, it's actually going to be even easier for Sea World et al to ignore the opposition as radical morons. PETA truly are their own worst enemies, or at least, they would be if they actually cared about animals as a primary goal instead of publicity.

**hotsauceman1**

The most sad thing?
I found out Shamu isnt really Shamu.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Frazzled wrote:
PETA should have bought a destroyer, refitted it and gone raiding after the Japanese "scientific" whaling fleet. Heck I'd give money for that.

Why do people give Japan a bad time? Many Nordic countries still whale, I think maybe even Iceland.

**Ahtman**

Many other countries practice whaling but follow international guidelines and quotas, and some are just indigenous people allowed to continue traditional whaling in small numbers. Japan pretty much has said 'feth you' to everyone else and hunts whales and dolphins indiscriminately.

**Cheesecat**

Ahtman wrote:
Many other countries practice whaling but follow international guidelines and quotas, and some are just indigenous people allowed to continue traditional whaling in small numbers. Japan pretty much has said 'feth you' to everyone else and hunts whales and dolphins indiscriminately.

I don't mind dolphin and whale hunting unless they're hunting endangered species or their methods of hunting are really cruel and/or wasteful.

**Ahtman**

Cheesecat wrote:
Ahtman wrote:
Many other countries practice whaling but follow international guidelines and quotas, and some are just indigenous people allowed to continue traditional whaling in small numbers. Japan pretty much has said 'feth you' to everyone else and hunts whales and dolphins indiscriminately.

I don't mind dolphin and whale hunting unless they're hunting endangered species or their methods of hunting are really cruel and/or wasteful.

Guess which Japan falls under on both counts.

**MeanGreenStompa**

PETA, the Westboro Baptists of animal rights.

**SagesStone**

So let me get this right...

PETA: We would like to buy shares
SW: Ok, thanks.
PETA: Hahahahaha now you have to listen to us. Free Shamu!
SW:

**hotsauceman1**

I like to imagine they get what is equivalent of the kids table at thanks giving. You get all the perks, but none of the respect.

**whembly**

If I were the CEO... I'd be like this whenever PETA says their peice:

**Monster Rain**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
If they wanted to save the whales, they should have used that money to by a Klingon Bird-Of-Prey and travelled back in time to the 80s, like any respectable person would.

I wish the thread had ended here, before death was wished on SeaWorld trainers.

If only I could exalt this more than once.

**Shredsmore**

I genuinely just learned Shamu's real name is Corky, and thats about as much as I cared to read.