AN ANIMAL cruelty protest has been shot down by hordes of holidaymakers at Sea World on the Gold Coast today.

Protesters unveiled banners at the theme park’s dolphin show, highlighting the plight of captive animals, but the stunt was cut short as spectators started booing while others ripped the signs out of the hands of protesters.

Security arrived within minutes to escort the group of activists out a rear entrance and out of the park, to large cheers from the crowd of several hundred people at the dolphin show amphitheatre.

media_camera Protesters interrupt a dolphin show at Sea World before being escorted out by security.

While the protesters were evicted, no charges have been laid.

In a statement, Sea World defended the treatment of animals at the park.

“Sea World is very proud of its world class exhibits including some of the largest filtered natural sand bottom lagoon systems in the world for dolphins” the statement said.

“The health and wellbeing of our animals is of the utmost priority and we have a strong reputation for caring for marine animals with a health and welfare programme designed to promote a long, enriched life.”

Marine parks, especially those in the US, often come under fire for housing marine mammals in captivity.

The Gold Coast’s Sea World has also been a regular target of protesters, some of whom have mistakenly linked it to the US parks housing orcas which bear the same name.