Embattled amusement-park operator SeaWorld Entertainment said March 17 that the killer whales currently living at its facilities will be its last, as it will stop breeding them immediately and phase out theatrical orca shows.
The company had already announced plans to end killer whale shows at its San Diego park following regulatory scrutiny in California.
SeaWorld will turn its attention to “new, inspiring, natural orca encounters” emphasizing enrichment, exercise and health while its killer whales are alive, CEO Joel Manby said on a conference call.
The orca shows will end at its San Diego park in 2017, while the San Antonio and Orlando parks will end the shows by 2019.
The move comes nearly three years after SeaWorld came under pressure for its treatment of killer whales and their trainers in the documentary “Blackfish.”
“Blackfish” examined the death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by an orca named Tilikum. Since then, in a steady campaign on social media, critics have demanded SeaWorld end its orca breeding program.
The director of “Blackfish,” Gabriela Cowperthwaite, called the move “a defining moment. The fact that SeaWorld is doing away with orca breeding marks truly meaningful change.”
For SeaWorld, the agreement resolves an issue that has held up expansion of the company’s San Diego theme park. Plans for a new, expanded orca habitat were submitted for approval the California Coastal Commission. The commission gave its approval, but only if the theme park agreed to end captive breeding of orcas. SeaWorld went to court, arguing in a lawsuit that the commission doesn’t have the authority or the expertise to make such a demand.
But with this announcement, SeaWorld is now agreeing to end captive breeding. SeaWorld has seen attendance decline at its three parks since the release of “Blackfish.” The company says the decline, in part, is because of the film. The stock price of the publicly traded company has dropped by more than half in the past three years.
Point Loma High School’s Cinematic Arts Program was instrumental in fueling the public backlash over “Blackfish” — and Alex Allen, a senior with the program, weighed in on SeaWorld’s decision accordingly. “Sea World’s choice to end the captive breeding of orcas,” he said, “isn’t just a step in the right direction for animal activism but for the entire country. The fact that they didn’t fight but agreed to end captive breeding is a great example of the people’s influence on big businesses as well as a drastic change in SeaWorld’s attitude towards animal captivity. SeaWorld made a good choice when it came to phasing out orca shows, but by ending captive breeding, they set an example.”
Logan Leising, also a senior, offered some thoughts as well.
“I remember visiting SeaWorld dozens of times as a child,” Leising said, “and I loved it. But as I grew older and began to be less myopic to their actions, it became more obvious of the neglect of the orcas. It’s truly amazing that (officials have) seen the negative effects of their ways and are now striving to correct them.”
Industry analysts say SeaWorld needs new attractions to compete with other theme parks, such as Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Universal Studios Theme Parks. SeaWorld has several new roller coasters in the works and recently unveiled images of a new signature submarine ride it’s planning in San Diego.
In what might be seen as an ironic twist, the announcement comes as SeaWorld and animal welfare activists are closely monitoring the health of Tilikum. SeaWorld says the orca appears to have a bacterial infection in its lungs that is resistant to treatment and that the animal’s health is “deteriorating.” Tilikum has been with SeaWorld for 23 years and is one of the park’s most prolific breeders, siring more than 20 calves. — USA Today, NPR, staff