After years of declining sales and criticism on their treatment of captive animals, SeaWorld announced today that they were putting a stop to their orca breeding program, and would, over the next couple of years, be phasing out their circus-like tricks-for-treats animal shows in favor of “new, inspiring natural orca encounters.”
#SeaWorld ‘s current generation of captive orcas will be its last: https://t.co/yHgSe6145N pic.twitter.com/rWvezkG9tk
— Nerdist (@nerdist) March 17, 2016
In a statement on the SeaWorld website, followed by an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times , SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. president and CEO Joel Manby announced that beginning today, SeaWorld would be putting a stop to orca breeding , stating that the 23 orcas currently living in captivity at SeaWorld parks would be the last generation of killer whales at any SeaWorld. Manby also announced its phasing out of theatrical orca shows, and will instead focus on creating “natural orca encounters” with the orcas still held in captivity.
“By making this the last generation of orcas in our care and reimagining how guests will experience these beautiful animals, we are fulfilling our mission of providing visitors to our parks with experiences that matter.”
Manby said the plan is to renovate the existing orca tanks and pools in an attempt to recreate a more natural habitat for the orcas, and while the orcas will still put on regular shows for SeaWorld visitors, rather than having them perform tricks in exchange for treats, the shows will be about “orca enrichment, exercise, and overall health.”
Gabriela Cowperthwaite, who directed Blackfish — the documentary that began the worldwide criticism of and activism against SeaWorld parks in its depiction of the company’s treatment of the orcas it held in captivity — called SeaWorld’s end to orca breeding a “defining moment,” saying in a joint statement with SeaWorld and the Humane Society that “the fact that SeaWorld is doing away with orca breeding marks truly meaningful change.”
#Blackfish director calls SeaWorld ending killer whale breeding “paradigm shifting” https://t.co/NHZWGSl74S pic.twitter.com/CCPdJDqCeW
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 17, 2016
While many are lauding SeaWorld’s decision to stop their orca breeding program, there are others, such as Mimi Bekhechi, the director of PETA, who are calling for SeaWorld to take it a step further, reports the Guardian. Bekhechi believes the parks should “open [their] tanks to the ocean” to release the orcas back into the wild, despite the fact that the majority of the 23 orcas currently living in SeaWorld parks were born in captivity and likely wouldn’t survive being thrust back into the wild . The SeaWorld website cites pollution, environmental concerns, and other “man-made threats,” along with the fact that the SeaWorld orcas — even those few not born in captivity but have lived there the majority of their lives — have become accustomed to being fed by humans, and receiving immediate veterinary care whenever needed, as just some of the reasons why the orcas would never survive in the wild.
“In fact, no orca or dolphin born under human care has ever survived release into the wild. Even the attempt to return the whale from Free Willy , Keiko, who was born in the wild, was a failure.”
The backlash it received following the release of Blackfish wasn’t the only factor involved in SeaWorld’s decision to end their orca breeding — though it was a big one. After the film’s release in 2013, SeaWorld saw an 84 percent drop in profits. Pressure from animal rights activists, as well as from the California Coastal Commission — who, in October of 2015, told SeaWorld that they would only approve renovation plans if they put a stop to their orca breeding program — also played a major role in the company’s final decision to end orca breeding and put a stop to the circus-like atmosphere of their animal shows.
Aside from putting a stop to orca breeding, and ending their theatrical shows, SeaWorld also announced a new partnership with the Humane Society, and have stated their intention to donate $50 million over the next five years to help the fight against illegal whale and seal fishing, and shark finning.
[Photo by AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File]