As the U.S. watches Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28, debate may ensue because of a new float called a “Sea of Surprises,” which SeaWorld will be showing in the parade.

This will be the second time SeaWorld is involved in the parade (the first time was back in 1986). The float itself will illuminate what SeaWorld has to offer: sharks, sea turtles, waves and of course, the famous Shamu. The float itself will be 27 feet high and 32 feet long. On the float, there will be a celebrity performer and, walking beside the float, there will be children and adults dressed in aquatic costumes and some on stilts.

Animal activists, including those from PETA,have begun to show displeasure in SeaWorld,

“Seaworld promotes holding animals in captivity and denying animals everything that is natural,” said PETA

One society, the Oceanic Preservation Society in Boulder, Colorado, has expressed outrage at the parade and has urged its supporters to show their concern on the internet.

Despite the outcry from thousands of people, Macy’s has not changed its plans and has said that the float is “great entertainment for [the] family.”

Even the CEO of SeaWorld himself, Jim Atchinson, stated, “Seaworld is thrilled to display its float in the Thanksgiving Parade and that the float will represent the fun that guests will experience when they visit SeaWorld Parks,” reports Attractions Magazine.

The big issue here stands with orcas being held in captivity against their will, sometimes mistreated and abused. There are a plethora of reasons why orcas captivity is very disturbing.

The first is that many orcas in captivity die a lot more frequently than orcas in the ocean.  According to a study done by government scientists, they found that killer whales in captivity have a 6.2% annual mortality rate, while killer whales in the ocean have only a 2.4% mortality rate.

Additionally, most killer whales who are held captive are fed dead and frozen fish which deprives them of key nutrients and fresh water. An average orca consumes around 83 pounds of food a day, but SeaWorld sometimes doesn’t adequately feed the orcas and occasionally have to inject the whales with herring when they become dehydrated from a lack of food.

What’s more, the whales often suffer from hollowed teeth and develop dental problems. When awhale’s teeth become misfigured or broken, the trainers have to drill the whale’s teeth, causing extreme pain and discomfort to for animal

If you would like to tell Macy’s that promoting SeaWorld at the Thanksgiving Day Parade is offensive, click here to contact the company’s CEO and the parade producer and urge them to cancel plans for the SeaWorld float’s inclusion at the parade.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will take place on Nov. 28 starting at 9 am.