Bob Barker Condemns SeaWorld In New PETA TV Spot (VIDEO)

Bob Barker is no longer telling people to "Come on down!" In fact, he's asking the opposite of anyone considering a trip to SeaWorld, which he condemns as a "sad exhibit."

In a new PETA TV spot, Bob Barker states, "If you're thinking about a trip to SeaWorld, please reconsider." In the video, Barker states that some orcas at SeaWorld were taken from their family pods in the ocean and are now forced to swim in small, concrete tanks where they perform "dumb tricks."

PETA reports that at least 23 orcas have died in U.S. SeaWorld facilities since 1986 from causes other than old age.

Celebrities including Matt Damon, Hayden Panettiere, Tommy Lee, and Pamela Anderson have all similarly criticized SeaWorld. Last year, a killer whale drowned a trainer, which prompted PETA and Barker to call for SeaWorld's orcas to be retired to sanctuaries.

Following Tommy Lee's recent accusation of SeaWorld's "sick and twisted" treatment, in which he cited PETA, a SeaWorld representative responded, "PETA is as careless with their facts as they are extreme in their views."

PETA plans to target seniors who may be planning a trip to SeaWorld with their grandchildren by airing the new Bob Barker TV spot during broadcasts of game shows like "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel Of Fortune."

WATCH:

Comments

[zanzy]

05:48 AM on 07/15/2011

I do not go to seaworld or zoos, all they do is torture animals for money and lie to humans, especially children, about what they are doing. Purely henious! Seaworld should be shut down and the animals given more room to live their lives in captivity with some sort of dignity, and be the last animals to be tortured for human enjoyment.

[Jcray]

02:52 PM on 06/16/2011

PETA is just a terrorist organization.

[Megan Slack]

08:13 PM on 06/14/2011

There are a few things that need to be taken into consideration. First of all, it is a fact of nature that animals will only breed if they are content. While no one can truly speak on whether these animals are "happy" or not since we can't read their minds, the hundreds of births that have happened at SeaWorld parks are a testiment to the fact that these animals are content in their environment.

Another thing that most people don't realize is the lengths that SeaWorld goes to to rescue and rehabilitate animals. They've rescued over 18,000 animals since their first park opened, most of which are treated and released back into the wild when at all possible. Those that are injured to a degree that would keep them from surviving again in the wild are taken care of by SeaWorld for the remainder of their lives at immense expense to them. This reinforces the fact that SeaWorld's purpose is to educate the public about marine mammals and the importance of conservation, as well as to save these animals in the wild.

[Amanda Welling]

02:40 AM on 06/16/2011

Why are we in the business of keeping these animals captive? Because the power dynamic in which we appear to dominate them is ultimately an illusion, a product purely of the orcas' intelligence, their willingness to socialize with us rather than eat us. Not only are orcas large and powerful, they are incredibly intelligent creatures with huge brains. And like all sentient creatures, their mental health ultimately affects their behavior.

And there is no situation more likely to negatively affect a killer whale's mental health than being locked up in a comparatively tiny pool of water surrounded by blank cement walls.

For a human, it would be akin to locking someone in a white, featureless padded room with maybe a couple of other people and getting fed by doing tricks for your captors. How long before you think people would start cracking and acting erratically in those conditions?

[Amanda Welling]

02:41 AM on 06/16/2011

or orcas, it's even more acute. You know the big bulge on the front of their heads? That's not their big brain, which is located behind the whale's eyes. That's a sound receptor -- probably the most sophisticated of its kind in the natural world, though it mostly is a large sac of extraordinarily fine oil.

While eyesight is probably the most important of our primary senses, the chief means we have for perceiving and understanding our world, for orcas, it is at best No. 2 on the list. Their eyesight is reasonably good, roughly comparable to that of humans, but underwater -- which is where they spend 99 percent of their time -- it's of limited utility, since the farthest anyone can see underwater in even the clearest of conditions is a couple of dozen yards.

Killer whales' primary means of sensory perception is their echolocation, and it is a true sixth sense. We're only now beginning to delve just how sophisticated it is, but it's become fairly apparent that orcas are capable of seeing with remarkable clarity for hundreds of yards underwater, and their sound receptors and the brain attached to them are capable of "seeing" with remarkable detail and clarity through this sonic sense.

[Amanda Welling]

10:46 PM on 06/12/2011

Has nobody here seen the movie The Cove?? Does anyone realize what type of industry people are supporting when they go to places to see any sort of dolphin show? Who cares about Peta? They are a crappy group too, but for once this is a good message. I absolutely refuse to go to any place that thinks it is okay to cage an animal for a humans amusement, especially after finding out more on my own about what goes on in Taiji and other places around the world. Are we really that shallow that we think it is okay to pay some hard earned cash to see a few Orcas twirling and jumping in a pool that is obviously way to small for them? Is is okay that Japanese fishermen supply dolphins to aquariums all over the globe by capturing them, killing the ones that aren't as desirable (feeding their own children the meat laced heavily with mercury)....and so on? I don't like circuses or zoos either. If I want to see some animals, I will go view them in their natural habitat!

[Chris Hering]

04:24 AM on 06/10/2011

Bob Barker got all of my pets pregnant...how ironic

[jhnnxn]

09:26 PM on 06/09/2011

PETA? Oh you mean this PETA!http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

[Issaquah79]

10:18 PM on 06/09/2011

The man behind your source.
http://www­­.bermanex­p­osed.org­/

[jhnnxn]

11:49 PM on 06/09/2011

How about this PETA?http://www.newsweek.com/2008/04/27/peta-and-euthanasia.html

[jhnnxn]

11:58 PM on 06/09/2011

How about this PETA?http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/h/2833-peta-kills-animals----and-its-a-felony

[knappm70]

12:29 PM on 06/09/2011

Yo Price is Right sexual harasment man, no one cares what you think. PETA, People Eatting Tasty Animals.

[ironhead1959]

11:45 AM on 06/09/2011

Old fool. Hey Bob, how many fish tanks have you had in your last hundred years.

[Yair Navarrete]

10:18 PM on 06/12/2011

orcas and dolphins actually realize they are living in a swimming pool.

[Pema]

11:34 AM on 06/09/2011

thank you! thank you! bob barker. i live about 1.5 miles from sea world in san diego. they shoot off fireworks every night at 9 pm waking and terrifying these poor creatures. sea world is cruel. sorry but true

[Chris Hering]

04:30 AM on 06/10/2011

The animals are used to the noises of seaworld, just as you would be used to airplanes flying over your house. Have you been there to witness the "terrified poor creatures" when these noises are being made? I think not.

[Pema]

11:51 AM on 06/10/2011

have you? they dont understand. its just a terrifying noise. like the vacumn cleaner, how many dogs run from it. doesnt matter if it happens over and over. i guess your not understanding the plight they are in.

[sabelmouse]

11:59 AM on 06/10/2011

i never get used to unpleasant noises. in fact i get more stressed and anxious over time. they have my sympathy.

[alvdh1]

10:56 AM on 06/09/2011

As long as "The Price Is Right" people will continue to purchase tickets to see cheap animal tricks.

[ckdogs]

10:47 AM on 06/09/2011

Orcas are too large to be kept in captivity. It's cruel on it's face. It's like keeping a goldfish in a tea cup. Just as zoos are reconsidering exhibiting elephants, some animals just need more space to be mentally and physically healthy.
As for PETA - yes, sometimes they are over the top, but they do speak for the animals who cannot speak for themselves. Animals are chattel in our society, and they need champions to defend them from the cruelty and greed of the human race.

[zfire]

10:29 AM on 06/09/2011

Tillimuk will never be released because he is a stock owned by Blackstone not a privately owned entity akin to Apple stock or Wallmart. He has killed 3 people since his capture off the coast of Iceland during his teenage puberty. The park in Canada where he killed his first "trainer" with the help of a female and her child was closed soon after.

[Chris Hering]

04:33 AM on 06/10/2011

Yeah if they release him into the wild he will die because he has no survival skills.

[zfire]

09:50 AM on 06/10/2011

No, he will die because his teeth have been drilled out and he won't be able to kill seals. He was taken from Iceland's waters during his teenage years and no doubt will be capable of fending for himself if it were not for the damage caused to his mouth by the parks. There are sanctuaries for these animals where they can be released yet he is a cash cow and is used for breeding for the park in Dubai. He is also not owned by a single entity but by BlackStone and he is a public stock so chances are that he will never be released and will die a sad lonely death in a 100,000 gallon tank like the "Shamus" before him. When people stop visiting the park, the stock will go down, and he can be sold to an environmental group that will put in in a sanctuary where he may roam and return to be fed.

[RocheTm]

10:20 AM on 06/09/2011

PETA is a sick and twisted group. We received some stuff from them once for children. Stickers and little booklets and stuff. We where going to give them to our kids until we looked at the stuff. Honestly they scare me. I don't support the NRA or religious groups but I would support them over PETA any day of the week.

[Pema]

11:38 AM on 06/09/2011

peta is not a sick twisted group. i cant speak to what you were given to give to your kids i havent seen it. however....who else has fund drives to get dog houses for dogs left out in the snow by hearltess owners. who else has made the plight of circus animals known? no one so i dont respect your high hobby horse.

[RocheTm]

01:56 PM on 06/09/2011

Hows the Kool-aid?

[Doreen Devillalvilla]

06:53 PM on 06/09/2011

Lots of other organizations and individuals do things to help animals. Start with the ASPCA, Humane Society as well as countless other groups that are devoted to helping animals. To make a broad statement that only Peta helps animals proves what others have said about you, you don't know your facts. Before you criticize - learn.

[Yair Navarrete]

10:20 PM on 06/12/2011

They just use true and shocking stories to get peoples attention. You are ignorant

[LibertarianJon]

10:01 AM on 06/09/2011

If you actually look into the history of PETA, They are nature terrorists. They are much more harmful to animals and the people whom they brainwash than any Carnival, Zoo, Marine Park, Aquarium, or Circus. If people really care about animals, they would allow PETA to flounder in their lies, deceit and treachery...

[Pema]

11:39 AM on 06/09/2011

source material and some evidence to back up your claim of terrorists.

[LibertarianJon]

11:55 AM on 06/09/2011

First off, my sister is a zoo keeper and has been for many years. She has seen so called PETA "Activists" attempting to stage pictures at the zoo. Vandalize zoo property, etc.

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/article_detail.cfm/a/134-7-things-you-didnt-know-about-peta
http://www.animalscam.com/

According to PETA's own filings, in 2004 PETA killed 86.3 percent of the animals entrusted to its care -- a number that's rising, not falling. Meanwhile, the SPCA in PETA's home town (Norfolk, Va.) was able to find loving homes for 73 percent of the animals put in its care. A shortage of funds? Nope: last year PETA took in $29 million in tax-exempt donations. It simply has other priorities for the funds, like funding terrorism (yes, really). But don't take my word for it: I got my figures from http://www.PETAkillsAnimals.com -- and they have copies of PETA's state and federal filings to back it up. The bottom line: if you donate money to PETA because you think they care for and about animals, you need to think some more. PETA literally yells and screams about how others "kill animals" but this is how they operate? Pathetic.

[josesiem]

08:39 AM on 06/09/2011

Wow. 23 Orcas in 25 years - truly a tragedy. People forget that animals die in the wild too, ripped apart, often so severely damaged by an encounter that they spend the rest of their lives disabled with no human to bandage them up, give them antibiotics, and feed them.

I support Peta but this seems like a fight not worth picking.

[zfire]

10:14 AM on 06/09/2011

But they suffer for their entire lives during captivity. A quote on Tilikum's condition: He's also been extremely stressed, because he's got broken teeth and he's been on antibiotic­s on and off. We know he's chronicall­y dehydrated because he's eating about 10 gallons of gelatin a day, which is about 80 pounds of gelatin just to keep him hydrated because he's eating dead fish. And he's also just been really isolated.

[Pema]

11:40 AM on 06/09/2011

F&F

[zfire]

10:26 AM on 06/09/2011

The resultant infighting amongst captive orcas is exacerbated by virtue of having no place to run, as confinement fails to provide spatial escape options that natural settings offer. As a result, social strife is common in captivity, including aggression, in which whales are cut, raked, and rammed, usually by members higher on the social ladder. In one particularly brutal example, Kandu V, a female orca at Sea World of California (SWC), bled to death after 11.9 years (4332 days) in captivity when an artery was severed at the upper jaw (See Appendix A). The wound was self-inflicted as she collided with another whale in a display of dominance. Over the next 45 minutes, and in view of the public, she slowly bled out, spouting blood from her blowhole until she died.