Loro Parque stood up for its work carried out in its facilities in Puerto de la Cruz and for animal conservation, while rejecting the allegations made by the animal groups People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and World Animal Protection (WAP). “They are marketing companies that have turned into activists and eco-terrorists,” stated Loro Parque’s president, Wolfgang Kiessling.
These statements were made during a meeting held yesterday in Santa Cruz under the title Public Event in defence of responsible tourism and citizens’ rights, organised to “address crucial issues such as the distortion of the tourism market by extremist animal organisations, the dangers of giving in to the blackmail of these organisations and the promotion of ethical and sustainable tourism, based on animal welfare and independent accreditation carried out by globally recognised organisations.”
Loro Parque defends its work and calls two animal groups eco-terrorists / El Día
Loro Parque’s vice president, Christoph Kiessling, and the director of Loro Parque Foundation, Javier Almunia, also gave speeches. Wolfgang Kiessling argued that PETA and WAP seek to “get money from donations,” as well as they “work with lies and irregularities.”
“We are facing this type of attack coming from eco-terrorists,” reiterated Christoph Kiessling during the main presentation of the event. “They are trying to change our freedom of choice,” he lamented. He also stated that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are “eco-terrorists who do not speak for the majority of people,” as he asserted that 83% of citizens “do believe in the importance of zoos.” And he concluded: “They want to scare the population.”
Loro Parque defends its work and calls two animal groups eco-terrorists / El Día
Loro Parque stated that PETA has a “strategy of terror, of death,” accusing it of “sacrificing” dogs and cats. “PETA’s annual budget is 69 million dollars in the United States,” he raised, adding that only 0.3% of those funds are allocated to animals. “The madness of PETA has no end,” he pointed out at another point in the event.
On another note, Christoph Kiessling estimated that Loro has received 55 million visitors between 1972 and 2024, mentioning that nature currently faces “a serious problem” and that “the planet will lose a million species of the four it has in the coming years.” He argued that the world’s population growth is “unsustainable,” especially between 2000 and 2024, and that 10,000 square meters are deforested every five seconds. He then addressed the problems posed by pollution and poaching.
The company’s vice president highlighted the genetic reserve (with an “animal sanctuary” of over 400 species) of Loro Parque, promoting scientific studies, conservation, a rehabilitation centre, and an awareness centre. Additionally, he mentioned that Loro Parque Foundation has 76 projects for this year and that 73 universities are part of its knowledge network. He pointed out: “The associations that accuse us do not help any species.”
Javier Almunia from Loro Parque Foundation also spoke, criticizing that the mentioned groups “attack the entire value chain” of tourism and “appropriate the concept of animal welfare.” He expressed that the proposal made by Loro Parque Foundation is the “environmental certification of animal welfare.”
