“I’m sure we asked for their permission”: James Cameron Promotes Avatar 2 With Cruel Dolphin Show Despite Proclaiming to Be Vegan For Animal Rights
James Cameron is facing the heat for being too icy towards dolphins. The director was recently promoting his upcoming release Avatar: The Way of Water in Tokyo and of all places, he chose a marine park to do so. As part of a publicity tour, the 68-year-old attended a dolphin show, which has now stirred up quite some backlash for the director.
Animal welfare activists have accused Cameron of condoning animal cruelty that marine parks are often considered synonymous with. And what’s more, the Canadian filmmaker also went on to crack a really unfunny albeit slightly offensive joke about the scenario as well.
James Cameron condones cruel dolphin show during Avatar 2 promotions
James Cameron was at the Avatar 2 press conference along with actors Jon Landau, Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang, and there was a dolphin show going on simultaneously.
The show began with Cameron alluding to his Avatar film franchise. He said, “Welcome to Pandora” and with two trainers, the dolphins entered the pool. The actors kept applauding the show which saw over six dolphins perform various water tricks, among which was the trainers being lifted by the underwater creatures into the air.
And as the show ended, the Titanic director shared his thoughts on the marine mammals.
“I love these animals, I love their intelligence. I love their sociability, their ability to connect with us and to interact with us and learn from us.”
And then he thought it was a good idea to conclude with a joke. He jested, “And I’m sure everybody asked their permission to be in the show.”
And none of this has gone down well with animal rights activists like PETA.
Animals rights activists question James Cameron’s hypocrisy
PETA has ever since been vehement in their criticism of The Terminator director. The US Senior Vice President of the animal rights organization, Lisa Lange talked to Plant Based News about the whole spectacle.
“James Cameron waited 13 years for the development of the right technology to bring the underwater world of Pandora to life. So why on Earth didn’t he pause for just five minutes to consider whether he should have allowed himself to be seen as endorsing the cruelty of marine parks?”
She then went on to talk about how Cameron’s actions seem hypocritical.
“Confining far-ranging dolphins to concrete tanks and using them as surfboards – riding on their faces in circus-style shows – is something the villains of Avatar would do. PETA urges him to reject such animal misery outright and encourages everyone to shun these cruel parks.”
Bailey Mason, another activist talked to the news outlet as well about how Cameron should never have condoned such cruelty to dolphins.
“James Cameron, as a high profile environmentalist, should never associate himself with the captivity of dolphins. Dolphin shows are cruel, not conservation.”
PETA has claimed that performing in such live shows and confinement causes serious physical and behavioral harm to dolphins, especially alluding to the trick when the trainers ride the dolphins’ noses or backs. This hurts the creatures’ lower jaws which are very sensitive and it might even cause hearing damage, and joint and muscle injuries.
The most surprising part is Cameron being a self-proclaimed animal advocate. He has also claimed to have embraced veganism for a decade now. He even produced the 2009 Oscar-winning animal rights documentary film The Cove, which is ironically about dolphin hunting in Japan.
Why then would he condone animal cruelty to promote a film about conserving natural oceanic resources, is a point raised by The Cove director Richard O’Barry, and everyone in general as well.
Source: Daily Mail, TMZ
