Yahoo Movies James Cromwell arrested after protesting at SeaWorld
The actor James Cromwell has been arrested following a protest at SeaWorld.
The 77-year-old was hauled off by police in San Diego yesterday after leading a group from PETA who disrupted one of the attraction’s ‘Orca Encounter’ shows, brandishing signs reading ‘SeaWorld Kills’.
In a statement, the ‘LA Confidential’ star said: “Orcas deserve a full life in the ocean, not a life sentence of swimming endless circles until they drop dead from disease.
“My friends at PETA and I want SeaWorld to move these intelligent animals to seaside sanctuaries without delay.”
Footage posted by PETA on its Facebook page shows Cromwell addressing a crowd with a megaphone, speaking about alleged abuses.
It also shows a member of the crowd slapping the megaphone from his hand, and captures the actor’s arrest and that of other protesters.
SeaWorld has come under intense scrutiny over its conditions and practices since the release of the whistleblowing documentary ‘Blackfish’ in 2013, which heavily criticised the way in which the park is run, with Orcas taken from the wild, separated from their families and kept in small enclosures.
The attraction has since said that it plans to phase out its Orca shows and breeding programmes.
Cromwell, meanwhile, has a long history of protesting for animal rights and environmental issues.
He spent three days in prison earlier this month, following a protest at a power plant in Orange County, New York, in 2015, choosing jail over a fine and community service.
Speaking about future protest plans to People magazine, he said: “I can’t really talk about them, but as soon as I get out of jail, I’m going somewhere else to do another action.
“I don’t separate things in my life. Who I am is what I do — I act, I practice my craft and I also stand up for the things I believe in. That’s what we all have to do.”
Cromwell, who’s set to appear in the forthcoming ‘Jurassic World 2’, became a vegan after appearing in the movie ‘Babe’ in 1995, and has been involved with PETA ever since.
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