Holiday goliath Thomas Cook has declared it will quit pitching trips to animal parks that keep killer whales.

The firm said over 90% of its clients were worried about animal welfare.

The two parks it will quit pitching tickets to subsequently are SeaWorld, in Florida, and Loro Parque in Tenerife.

“This was not a decision we took lightly,” CEO Peter Fankhauser said as he announced the new policy.

In a blog post, he recognized that the two parks had met norms and had made changes to how the animals were kept.

But, he said: “From next summer, we will no longer sell any animal attractions that keep orcas in captivity. We have actively engaged with a range of animal welfare specialists in the last 18 months and taken account of the scientific evidence they have provided. We have also taken feedback from our customers, more than 90% of whom told us that it was important that their holiday company takes animal welfare seriously. And when so many of our customers are so clear in their view, I could not allow our business to ignore them,” Mr. Fankhauser said.

“I am clear about the kind of business that we want to be. That’s why we introduced our animal welfare policy 18 months ago, and that’s why we’ve taken this decision today.”