Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Sea World is a marine zoo and theme park, located on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
Dolphins, polar bears, seals, penguins, sharks and more, all capable of traveling dozens of kilometres every day in the wild, are confined in small lagoons for their entire lives, their instinctive behaviours suppressed.
For the three polar bears, their ideal habitat is sea ice, where air temperatures range from -40°C to 0. They can start to overheat beyond 10°C. The Gold Coast has a subtropical climate, with temperatures reaching up to 40°C and humidity up to 75%. While Sea World claims they can come and go from the public exhibit at any time, one was observed frustratedly pacing back and forth between two closed doors, unable to leave.
Up to 30 bottlenose dolphins are kept captive at Sea World, most of them born into captivity. Visitors can pay extra to pat and swim with the dolphins. Twice daily, in one of the park’s most popular attractions, dolphins are made to perform in degrading shows for the reward of food.
Seals are similarly exploited for crass entertainment, under a thin guise of conservation messaging.
Despite heavily promoting its rescue, research and rehabilitation efforts, less than 1% of Sea World’s annual budget is spent on these programs. Bottlenose dolphins, and some of the other species kept on display at the park, are not endangered or even threatened.
Exploitation is not conservation, and captivity isn’t cute.
Sea World is a marine zoo and theme park, located on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
Dolphins, polar bears, seals, penguins, sharks and more, all capable of traveling dozens of kilometres every day in the wild, are confined in small lagoons for their entire lives, their instinctive behaviours suppressed.
For the three polar bears, their ideal habitat is sea ice, where air temperatures range from -40°C to 0. They can start to overheat beyond 10°C. The Gold Coast has a subtropical climate, with temperatures reaching up to 40°C and humidity up to 75%. While Sea World claims they can come and go from the public exhibit at any time, one was observed frustratedly pacing back and forth between two closed doors, unable to leave.
Up to 30 bottlenose dolphins are kept captive at Sea World, most of them born into captivity. Visitors can pay extra to pat and swim with the dolphins. Twice daily, in one of the park’s most popular attractions, dolphins are made to perform in degrading shows for the reward of food.
Seals are similarly exploited for crass entertainment, under a thin guise of conservation messaging.
Despite heavily promoting its rescue, research and rehabilitation efforts, less than 1% of Sea World’s annual budget is spent on these programs. Bottlenose dolphins, and some of the other species kept on display at the park, are not endangered or even threatened.
Exploitation is not conservation, and captivity isn’t cute.
