14th February 2025
This weekend marks 1 year since we launched our campaign to free 15 gentoo penguins from a windowless basement at London Sea Life Aquarium. Join us as we step up the pressure!
Sea Life is a global brand that operates 52 aquariums, in which 180,000 wild animals are held captive. Many are taken from their true home in the wild, and even more die in transit. Like many zoos and aquariums, they choose to present their activities as ‘conservation’, or ‘education’, but they are nothing more than tourist attractions. This is clear from looking at the other attractions under the umbrella of its parent company, Merlin Entertainments.
Merlin Entertainments is an international entertainment, resorts, and attractions brand. Alongside Sea Life centres, it operates theme parks like LegoLand and Alton Towers, and well-known sightseeing opportunities, such as the London Eye and Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. Operating tourist attractions quite literally alongside aquariums demonstrates that the Sea Life brand is just another revenue-making enterprise in Merlin’s multi-billion pound portfolio. The animals it holds captive mean no more to Sea Life than its rides, merchandise, and stock.
For a business like Merlin Entertainments there is one thing they value above all else: profit. Compassionate people in the modern world already avoid going to zoos and aquariums in order to not fund exploitative businesses. We can all go one step further and boycott all Merlin Entertainments attractions as long as they hold animals captive anywhere.
Merlin Entertainments owns multiple venues in the UK and around the world. Your pledge to boycott them means they will not be getting any of your money at the following venues:
Scotland:
Edinburgh Dungeon, Midlothian
Northern England:
Blackpool Tower Circus, Lancashire
Sandcastle Waterpark, Lancashire
Madame Tussauds Blackpool, Lancashire
Peter Rabbit: Explore and Play Blackpool, Lancashire
Blackpool Eye, Lancashire
Blackpool Dungeon, Lancashire
York Dungeon, Yorkshire
LEGOLAND® Discovery Manchester, Greater Manchester
Midlands of England:
Alton Towers Resort, Staffordshire
Warwick Dungeon, Warwickshire
Warwick Castle, Warwickshire
Cadbury World, West Midlands
LEGOLAND® Discovery Birmingham, West Midlands
Southern England:
Thorpe Park, Surrey
Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Greater London
Legoland Windsor Resort, Berkshire
London Dungeon, Greater London
London Eye, Greater London
DreamWorks Tours: Shrek’s Adventure!, Greater London
Madame Tussauds London, Greater London
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