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Virgin Holidays scraps tours involving captive whales and dolphins

Virgin Holidays has announced it will no longer sell tourism experiences involving captive whales and dolphins.

The decision effectively ends its partnerships with facilities such as SeaWorld and Discovery Cove, the company said.

Richard Branson said the announcement marks “the most significant milestone yet” on its five-year journey to “drive positive change in the tourism industry”.

Orcas normally swim up to 140 miles a day in the wild, with critics saying there is no humane way to the animals in captivity, let alone forcing them to perform circus-style tricks for food.

It comes after Thomas Cook announced last year it was to stop selling tickets to SeaWorld and all parks that confine orcas in the name of entertainment following months of campaigning by Peta, the animal rights charity.

Joe Thompson, managing director of Virgin Holidays, said it would now focus on offering customers “more natural, at-distance encounters with these animals”.

Mr Thompson said: “Following further developments, we have now decided the time is right to discontinue offering attractions featuring close encounters with captive whales and dolphins.

“We will instead focus our efforts on encouraging customers to see these creatures in the wild. We will also continue our efforts to support the development of sanctuaries for whales and dolphins currently in captivity.”

In 2014 Virgin pledged to only work with facilities that promised not to take animals from the wild, and three years later announced that it would not add any new attractions featuring captive whales and dolphins to its portfolio.

Dr Jan-Schmidt Burbach, Global Wildlife Advisor at World Animal Protection said: “We know that the majority of people who engage in animal activities when they’re on holiday, do so because they love wild animals, unaware of the suffering that goes on behind the scenes.

“We are genuinely thrilled that Virgin Holidays is ending the sale and promotion of all captive whale and dolphin attractions and we hope that this very clear message will signal a shift in the holiday industry, in regards to working with captive animal entertainment facilities.”

A SeaWorld spokeswoman said: “It is disappointing to see Virgin Holidays succumb to pressure from animal activists who mislead and manipulate marine mammal science to advance their agendas.

“Virgin’s own corporate mission is having a measurable purpose that positively impacts communities and the environment. SeaWorld is the epitome of that mission. With more than 35,000 animal rescues and decades of meaningful scientific contributions, we are proud to be a recognised global leader in marine mammal science, education and, in particular, providing preeminent care to all of our marine mammals.”

She added: “With rising threats to our oceans and their inhabitants, supporting independently accredited zoological facilities is more important than ever. No company does more to protect marine mammals and advance cetacean research, rescue and conservation than SeaWorld.”