Orcas and the Russian Winter Games

So not content to persecute human beings with their anti guy laws, the Russian government has now decided to persecute wild creatures who have no voice with which to scream.  To this end two wild orcas have been captured by Russian hunters and are now on their way to a 'dolphinarium' to be displayed during the Winter Games.

White Sphere, the Russian company behind this, can't care less that the orcas were stolen from their ocean home or that they are going to be kept in a "small concrete tank" after a 4,614 mile flight from the far east of Russian.  For a creature that can grow up to 22ft long and swim 100 miles a day this is intolerable.  It would be like taking an autistic and forcing them to socialise 24/7 for six months with out a break even to sleep.  Animal experts say that transporting orcas causes them stress, that keeping them in captivity shortens their life and can even turn them dangerously "psychotic".

Tell White Sphere not to display these wild orcas for entertainment.

Reports have surfaced that the whales are, right now, bound for Sochi's 'Aquatoria', whose officials have remained quiet on the topic. Reporters’ requests for comment sent to the International Olympic Committee, Aquatoria, or its Moscow-based managing company White Sphere have not been returned.

This isn’t the first time White Sphere has done something like this - reports say that it has captured eight wild orcas in the last year alone, all for public display. And according to Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the Russian Federation’s attempt to catch orca whales over the years has resulted in several animals being killed.

The world should now turn its gaze on Russian President Putin and the International Olympic Committee, neither of whom can afford any more embarrassment.  Putin is putting his personal reputation on the line by hosting the Sochi Olympics, but he hasn’t done a great job of it so far. If the world committee makes enough noise about White Sphere's despicable behaviour, just a week before the Games begin, there is more chance that Putin and the International Olympic Committee will have to take notice or lose even more credibility.

Demand that White Sphere drops its plan to display the orcas.

The Sochi Winter Olympics has been embroiled in controversy. Over 400,000 of the SumOfUs community have already petitioned Coca Cola, as a sponsor of the Winter Olympics, to speak out on Russia’s brutal anti-gay laws. Now, thousands more of us are protesting the display of the wild orcas. We have one week left until the Sochi Olympics open. Let’s make sure our voices are heard!