Animal Entertainment
Conduct Screen Animal Welfare
Use of live animals in commercial entertainment, including circuses, marine parks (SeaWorld), rodeos, bullfighting, elephant rides, exotic petting zoos, and animal racing where confinement or performance is the core product.
17 companies currently excluded under this screen
Excluded Companies (17 total)
Showing 17 of 17 companies excluded under this screen.
| Ticker | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| RHP | Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. | Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. operates the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, which hosts the annual “Opryland Trail of Holiday Lights” drive-through event. This event has historically featured a live reindeer display as a central attraction. The company’s use of captive reindeer for public entertainment and photo opportunities constitutes commercial exploitation of animals. A specific, documented incident of animal cruelty is directly linked to this business activity. In 2021, a reindeer named “Tinsel” died at the Opryland Trail of Holiday Lights. A veterinary pathologist who examined the case stated the injuries were “one of the most violent attacks on an animal he had seen,” concluding the reindeer was “kicked to death.” This incident occurred on the premises of the company’s commercial holiday event. The company’s core business is hospitality and entertainment. The continued operation of an event that uses live animals as attractions, following a publicly documented fatal attack, places this activity under the animal_exploitation exclusion. |
| DKS | Dick's Sporting Goods Inc | Dick's Sporting Goods is a major retailer of hunting and fishing equipment, which are products designed to kill animals at scale. The company sells firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, and fishing gear as core product categories. This commercial activity directly supports the exploitation of animals for sport and recreation. The company has faced legal action related to its products. In *Hearn v. Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. et al* (2022-cv-00329), a consumer lawsuit included counts under Agricultural Law and Animal & Dog Law, though the specific allegations are not detailed in public filings. This litigation suggests product-related disputes involving animal welfare concerns. As a leading national sporting goods chain, Dick's Sporting Goods mainstreams and monetizes equipment for hunting and fishing, contributing to the commercial exploitation of animals not covered by more specific codes like meat production or entertainment. |
| PRKS | UNITED PARKS & RESORTS INC | United Parks & Resorts Inc. operates SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens, and Aquatica, commercial marine parks whose core business model is the public exhibition of captive marine mammals and other wildlife for entertainment. This includes the breeding, training, and performance of orcas, dolphins, and other species in shows and interactive encounters. The company has been the subject of longstanding animal welfare controversies, including documented incidents of animal deaths and welfare concerns at its facilities. In 2025, the Justice Department opened an investigation into United Parks & Resorts for potential civil rights violations at its Florida parks, though this probe focuses on disability discrimination under the ADA rather than animal welfare. The company’s primary exclusion grounds stem from its commercial exploitation of animals for entertainment, a practice that falls under the broad animal_exploitation category. |
| SPWH | Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings Inc | Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings Inc. is a major outdoor sporting goods retailer whose core business model is built around the sale of equipment designed for hunting and fishing. The company's product assortment includes firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, and fishing gear specifically intended for the killing of animals at scale. This commercial activity directly facilitates and profits from the exploitation of wildlife. While the provided evidence from Cruelty Free Investors lists the company under "No Animal Exploitation," this assessment appears to conflict with the fundamental nature of the company's primary merchandise. The company's public filings and marketing materials consistently emphasize its identity as a hunting and fishing outfitter, indicating revenue is materially derived from products whose sole purpose is to exploit animals. |
| BGFV | Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation | Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation is a major retailer of hunting and fishing equipment, including firearms, ammunition, archery gear, and fishing tackle. These products are designed for the killing or capture of wildlife at scale. The company's core business model involves the commercial sale of equipment for activities that inherently exploit animals for sport and profit. Cruelty Free Investors flags the company for its involvement in the commercial exploitation of animals. While specific incident reports or regulatory actions were not located in the provided evidence, the company's product offerings in hunting and fishing equipment constitute a direct, revenue-generating link to activities that harm animals. This commercial relationship places Big 5 Sporting Goods within the scope of the animal exploitation exclusion. |
| DIS | The Walt Disney Company | The Walt Disney Company operates theme parks and produces films that incorporate live animals for entertainment purposes. Its parks feature animal-based attractions, and its film productions have a documented history of using animal actors and imagery tied to animal exploitation. Specific incidents highlight this pattern. In 2013, Disney's film "The Hundred Year Old Man" was condemned for its use of abused animals. A 2016 report on animals in entertainment cited frequent violations of the Animal Welfare Act associated with the industry. Academic analysis has also critiqued depictions of animal abuse within Disney's animated film catalog spanning decades. While the company has public animal welfare policies, its core business model continues to rely on the commercial use of animals for entertainment revenue. |
| H | Hyatt Hotels Corporation | Hyatt Hotels operates captive dolphin entertainment facilities at resort properties including the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, which hosts Delphinus Punta Cancun — a facility where six bottlenose dolphins are confined in a small enclosure for tourist swim-with-dolphin programs. Bottlenose dolphins travel 40 to 100 miles daily in the wild; the Hyatt Ziva enclosure can be crossed by a human swimmer in seconds. Animal welfare organizations including Dolphin Project and Dolphin Freedom have staged protests outside Hyatt hotels demanding closure of these exhibits. Hyatt has not issued a group-wide animal welfare policy addressing captive marine mammal entertainment. |
| CZR | Caesars Entertainment, Inc. | Caesars Entertainment operates the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, which maintains a live animal habitat featuring Chilean flamingos as a central attraction. This commercial display of captive wildlife for entertainment falls under the animal_exploitation exclusion category. The recent felony animal cruelty arrest of a tourist who broke into the habitat, stole a flamingo named Peachy, and injured other birds underscores the welfare risks inherent in such operations. While the criminal act was committed by a visitor, the incident occurred on Caesars' property and involved animals kept for commercial purposes. |
| SPHR | SPHERE ENTERTAINMENT CO | Sphere Entertainment Co. operates The Sphere in Las Vegas, a large-scale venue that has hosted events featuring animal acts. The venue's programming has included performances by the magician David Blaine, who has incorporated live animals such as doves into his stage shows. This constitutes commercial exploitation of animals for entertainment purposes. The company's primary business model is centered on operating this venue and curating its content, making animal-based acts a part of its commercial offering. |
| BALY | Bally's Corporation | Bally's Corporation owns and operates horse racing tracks including Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colorado (live thoroughbred and quarter horse racing) and Dover Downs in Dover, Delaware (harness racing), and offers simulcast horse race wagering at multiple casino properties. The company's historical portfolio included greyhound racing tracks. Horse racing causes documented equine injuries and deaths, with animals bred and raced for gambling profit. |
| RCL | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. | Royal Caribbean's cruise itineraries include excursions featuring marine animal encounters, dolphin swims, and wildlife entertainment programs at partner facilities in the Caribbean and Central America. Animal welfare organizations including World Animal Protection have specifically cited Royal Caribbean for promoting captive dolphin interactions and marine animal shows through its shore excursion programs. |
| VIK | VIKING HOLDINGS LTD | Viking Holdings operates ocean and river cruise lines whose itineraries include wildlife tourism excursions. Shore excursion programs in destinations like Norway, Iceland, and the Galápagos include whale watching, wildlife encounters, and visits to facilities with captive animals. Viking's expedition cruises specifically market close wildlife encounters as a core product feature. |
| NCLH | Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. | Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. appears on the Cruelty Free Investors list for using animals in entertainment. The company derives revenue from live-animal performances or exhibitions, practices the Cruelty Free Investors methodology classifies as exploitative. |
| CHDN | Churchill Downs, Incorporated | Churchill Downs, Incorporated appears on the Cruelty Free Investors list for using animals in entertainment. The company derives revenue from live-animal performances or exhibitions, practices the Cruelty Free Investors methodology classifies as exploitative. |
| FUN | Cedar Fair, L.P. | Cedar Fair, L.P. appears on the Cruelty Free Investors list for using animals in entertainment. The company derives revenue from live-animal performances or exhibitions, practices the Cruelty Free Investors methodology classifies as exploitative. |
| MTN | Vail Resorts, Inc. | Vail Resorts operates ski and mountain resorts across North America that promote and facilitate hunting, fishing, and horseback riding as seasonal entertainment activities, profiting from animal use in recreation. |
| MCRI | Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. | Monarch Casino & Resort operates casino-resort properties in Nevada and Colorado that feature restaurants serving animal products and promote hunting and fishing excursions as entertainment amenities for guests. |
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
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