Celebrity activist Elissa Sursara led the change on Sunday night in Australia, encouraging tens of thousands to tune into ABC's premier of the award-winning documentary The Cove; a move that unified an outraged Australian public and turned dolphin lovers into dolphin activists.

ABC executives thanked the blossoming actress for promoting the documentary on Monday morning.

The 23-year-old, who is iconic as an animal rights activist, tweeted links to the 2009 documentary, co-produced by rumoured boyfriend Lincoln O'Barry. She became one of Australia's 'trending topics' on the micro-blogging website soon after.

Though dolphin conservationists have welcomed Sursara's public promotion, SeaWorld Australia has reportedly condemned the starlet for making 'brazen claims'.

Sursara claimed SeaWorld is guilty of perpetuating the brutal dolphin drives and accused the marine park of hiding behind a 'conservation fallacy'.

"It's about making money," Sursara told Hot Tomato radio on Monday. "SeaWorld was founded by a businessman, not an ocean enthusiast. SeaWorld was never about rescuing and conservation. It wasn't then and it isn't now."

The Cove was brought to audiences by former Flipper trainer Richard O'Barry and his 36-year-old son Lincoln and has sparked international outrage about the treatment of dolphins during slaughter in Taiji from September to March each year. The hunt's connection to marine parks has raised questions about the ethics of captivity.

Some 23,000 dolphins are herded into a hidden cove in the small town of Taiji, Japan; and while some are sold to marine parks around the world (including Singapore's Sentosa Island Resort) the thousands that remain are slaughtered under tarps and sold as meat - sometimes mislabelled as whale.

Sursara said SeaWorld and other marine parks gloss over the connection by letting theme park patrons believe animals are rescues and being rehabilitated. She claims SeaWorld's conservation claims are 'laughable' and urged ticket buyers to re-think their consumer choice.

"Have you ever asked yourself where they got the dolphins?" She quizzed radio announcers. "When you buy a ticket to a dolphin show, you kill a dolphin. It's as simple as that."

Sursara has been vocal about her position against the hunts for the last three years, garnering vital attention within Australia for the cause.