Animal advocates in North America and around the world have been thrilled with the decision by a number of music industry artists to cancel concerts at SeaWorld, the controversial marine park in Florida.
The cancellations were sparked by the stunning impact of the film Blackfish, which exposed the suffering of captive Orca whales at marine parks. Online petitions and social media postings targeted the acts who had signed on to play at the park.
One act that announced it would not appear at SeaWorld is the veteran rock band Heart. The decision, which came amidst online pressure from fans, was announced in a tweet stating that: “Heart has chosen to decline their forthcoming performance at SeaWorld on 2/9/14 due to the controversial documentary film ‘Black Fish’.”
However, Heart is currently set to appear at the San Antonio Rodeo, which, like all rodeos, will feature the inhumane treatment of animals for entertainment. Can anyone spot the double standard?
It’s great if people in the entertainment industry are going to start including animal welfare concerns in decisions about where they will and will not perform. But it would be nice if they were consistent.
Perhaps Heart fans who care about animals will make their feelings known to the band.
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