PETA sent an urgent letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week asking the agency to investigate the death of a pregnant dolphin at SeaWorld Discovery Cove in Orlando.

PETA was contacted by a whistleblower who reported that a dolphin named Scarlet, who was used in the theme park's swim-with program, went into labor last week but never gave birth. Her calf apparently died in utero, and Scarlet died on Sunday.

PETA is asking the USDA to determine whether Scarlet's prenatal care was adequate and whether pain relief and appropriate veterinary care were provided during the nearly one-week period after Scarlet went into labor.

No doubt, if the USDA did investigate this, they would find that SeaWorld always provides the best care to animals. Many wild animals are taken to the SeaWorld for care each year, then later released into the wild.

"Scarlet lived a miserable life of deprivation in a tiny tank that's a fraction of the size of a dolphin's normal habitat, and she may have suffered immeasurable pain in the days leading up to her premature death," says PETA Director Debbie Leahy. "SeaWorld should get out of the marine-mammal business and spare dolphins the stress of gimmicky swim-with interactions and risky captive-breeding programs."

PETA also claims life for captive dolphins bears little resemblance to their lives in the wild. In their natural habitats, dolphins swim together in family pods and travel up to 100 miles each day.

While there may be some truth to the fact that dolphins can swim much longer distances in the wild, they never have to worry about water conditions or food at SeaWorld and other marine mammal aquariums. SeaWorld rescues approximately 1,000 animals each year on average. This includes hundreds of marine mammals.

The park does not make money from animals getting sick and dying. There’s no reason why they would want that to happen, especially when they spend so much money each year on care to marine mammals and have experts on staff to handle such situations.

While the dolphin could have suffered pain in the park due to her failed pregnancy, she would have suffered just as much pain in the wild, if this situation were to happen. In truth, her chances of survival at Discovery Cove were much better than had she been in the ocean unattended.

Those who have children who ask about these issues should make sure they understand there are always two sides to every story. They should also explain what SeaWorld does to make sure its animals stay healthy.