World Oceans Day is tomorrow-Saturday, June 8, 2019-and SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. ushered in the occasion by launching a new Instagram channel dedicated to telling the story of its animal rescue, rehabilitation and release efforts as seen through the eyes of those on the frontlines, and with the aim of increasing public awareness of the threats facing wildlife.
In a statement issued yesterday, SeaWorld confirmed that trends in its rescue data are revealing the impact of human activity on our oceans, including plastics pollution, is taking an ever-increasing toll on marine wildlife.
Jon (JP) Peterson, Senior Leader of Zoological Operations at SeaWorld Orlando, commented, "There's much more awareness now of the impact that humans are having on the ocean's health and the animals that live in the ocean than there was when I started on the rescue team, and that gives us hope. Part of SeaWorld's mission is to increase awareness and education of the true impact humans are having on our oceans and the detrimental effects on marine wildlife."
The organization is also celebrating a milestone: a 55-year of history of working in wildlife rescue and conservation, during which SeaWorld and its partners have saved over 35,000 marine and terrestrial animals.
SeaWorld's rescue team is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, and works in partnership with multiple government agencies-including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-to rescue and rehabilitate animals with the ultimate goal of restoring them to full health so they can return to their natural habitat.
On top of SeaWorld's rescue efforts, the company's team of experienced zoologists and researchers are continually working on the frontlines of conservation around the globe to aid some of the estimated one million species that are currently being driven toward extinction.
"For SeaWorld, our commitment to conservation runs deeper than saving a single animal on a beach," said Peterson. "We want to save and support their entire species, the ecosystem that they live in, and the food sources that they feed on."
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