Vegan James Cameron Slammed For Heartbreaking Press Event Exploiting Captive Dolphins for Entertainment

Vegan James Cameron has come under fire recently after a press event for Avatar 2 featured captive dolphins performing tricks in a pool.

Source: @yahooau/YouTube

Director James Cameron along with actors Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, and Sigourney Weaver, attended the Tokyo event where dolphins were forced to perform tricks in a pool along with orchestral music.

“I’m sure everybody asked their permission to be in the show,” joked Cameron in a video of the affair. “I love these animals, I love their intelligence.”

At first, animal activists couldn’t believe their eyes and thought that it must have been digitally produced. After all, Cameron is vegan and makes movies with a strong environmental message. Unfortunately, they were real.

Lisa Lange, senior vice president of communications for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) thought that the dolphins must have been animatronics or some kind of “movie magic,” but when she watched more, she realized they were real.

“To see James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington sitting there applauding was shocking,” Lange told Yahoo News. “The trainers were treating those dolphins like circus clowns. They were riding on the noses of the dolphins, I mean, that’s as bad as it gets.”

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In an open letter to James Cameron from The Dolphin Project, the organization expressed extreme disappointment in those who allowed and watched this happening.

“These are very intelligent people watching the live dolphin show. They are world travelers. Educated. Some are vegan. At least some of these filmmakers have probably seen The Cove movie, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2010.”

The Dolphin Project is now inviting James Cameron, Jon Landau, Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang to Japan to show them where the dolphins who entertained them likely came from.

“I’d like to personally show them where the dolphins that entertained them so well most likely came from. I’d like to show them exactly how dolphins are captured in Japan. I’d like to show them that trainers who purport to care for dolphins work alongside those that brutally slaughter dolphins. I’m sure, once they witness this first-hand, they will never applaud another dolphin show again.”

Sadly, these animals are often taken from the wild and kept in captivity for entertainment, and they suffer immensely. In the wild, these highly social creatures stay close to and travel with their pods. In captivity, they are forced into man-made “pods.” This leads to aggression amongst tank members. This only adds to the depression and physical pain they experience from being trapped in pools far too small for creatures who would swim thousands of miles a day in the wild. In captivity, cetaceans become so depressed they self-mutilate and attempt suicide by trying to beach themselves. In terms of physical health, they don’t get anywhere near enough exercise, and they do not reach the life expectancy they would in the ocean, dying at much higher rates and younger ages.

Though parks such as the famous SeaWorld try to convince the public that their cetaceans are content with their “spacious aquariums, restaurant-quality fish, exercise, quality veterinary care, and enrichment,” ultimately, profit is the priority. Don’t believe this? Read these 10 Reasons Why Whales and Dolphins Do NOT Belong in Tanks.

Sign this petition demanding that the U.S. Congress end marine mammal captivity in the United States. And make sure to sign your local representatives asking them to introduce legislation that fights against the captivity and exploitation of whales and dolphins.

Help free our friends with fins by:

• Not supporting marine parks.
• Taking a Pledge to not purchase tickets from marine parks and sharing this message with family, friends, and colleagues.
• Contacting government agencies and elected officials to request for them to prevent cetacean captivity.
• Signing petitions for cetaceans’ freedom and the end of breeding programs.
• Joining marine activists in peaceful protests for the liberation of cetaceans.
• Checking out what awesome anti-captivity heroes have done.
• Learning why there is hope for the demise of the captivity industry.
• Watching the documentary Blackfish (if you haven’t already) to learn more and investigating SeaWorld’s “Truth Team.”

Spreading the word through social media (and sharing OGP posts).

Related Content:

• Dolphin Populations Around Hong Kong Dropped 80% in 15 Years Likely Due to Noise Pollution
• Petition: Tell SeaWorld to Finally Send All Dolphins to Sanctuaries
• Dolphin Injured at SeaWorld Orlando After Being Attacked by Other Dolphins
• Thinking of Swimming With Dolphins This Summer? Here’s What You Need to Know
• Dolphins and Aircraft Passengers Warned Surfer About 20-Foot Shark Lurking Nearby

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
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