Mavsaq and Taku are two ringed seals rescued in Alaska who can never go back to the wild. Their new home is SeaWorld San Diego, a theme park that plans to show them to guests in its Wild Arctic exhibit. SeaWorld San Diego needs to promise, publicly and in writing, that these seals’ health and well-being will always come before ticket sales.

Ringed seals are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They are Arctic animals, built for sea ice and freezing water, a long way from Southern California. Mavsaq was found stranded on an oil field in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea in December 2025. Taku was discovered alone and weak on a rusty pipe along the shore at Dutch Harbor in 2018. After care at the Alaska SeaLife Center, experts decided neither seal could survive back in the wild.

These seals have already been through enough. Rescue should mean a safe, lifelong home, not a new job as a park attraction. SeaWorld says the seals will help represent their species to the public. A park that earns money from visitors has a responsibility to prove the animals come first.

SeaWorld San Diego should pledge that Mavsaq and Taku will never be used in shows or performances, that they will always have cold water and quiet space away from crowds, and that any research involving them stays voluntary. The park should also share regular health and care updates so the public can see how the seals are doing. Federal regulators at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) should hold the park to the highest standard of care.

Sign the petition to tell SeaWorld San Diego that Mavsaq and Taku deserve protection, not a spotlight, and that the time to promise it is now, before they go on display.