Killer whales: Thomas Cook to stop trips to parks that keep orcas

Orca whales or killer whales are incredible creatures - and it's a lot easier to see them at a theme park, like SeaWorld in the US, than in the wild out in the ocean.

Some think killer whales shouldn't be kept in captivity and should be left in their natural environment.

Now the holiday company Thomas Cook has decided it will stop selling trips to parks that keep killer whales. From next summer it won't sell tickets to SeaWorld in Florida, USA, and Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain.

They said: "More than 90% of our customers told us that it was important that their holiday company takes animal welfare seriously."

Harry Styles had asked his fans not to visit SeaWorld parks because of their orca performances

Celeb backing

In 2015, SeaWorld was told by Californian authorities they could no longer breed killer whales in captivity and they couldn't bring in any new killer whales.

The following year, after a lot of pressure from celebrities like Harry Styles and animal rights groups, SeaWorld said it would put an end to killer whale performance shows at one of its parks in San Diego.

Now, instead of performing tricks, the whales are used to help teach people more about orca life.

SeaWorld parks have been criticised for their orca shows in the past

'Incredible care'

SeaWorld said it no longer bred killer whales, but the ones it already had "will be with us and our visitors for many years".

It said "millions of UK guests" had visited its parks and that it would continue to "welcome the public" to them.

"They have seen first-hand the incredible care we provide all of our animals and learned about how we are protecting and saving species in the wild."

What do you think? Is it important to keep killer whales in theme parks for conservation, as long as the animals are looked after properly?

Or maybe you'd like to see all animals living in the wild? Let us know comment below.