The company has faced persistent criticism since the release of the 2013 documentary film “Blackfish”, which depicted the captivity of killer whales as inherently cruel, and potentially life threatening for the trainers involved.
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A spokesman for PETA said: “An end to SeaWorld’s tawdry circus-style shows is inevitable and necessary – but it’s captivity that denies these far-ranging orcas everything that is natural and important to them”. The announcement is contained in a company document posted online in advance of a webcast this morning in which SeaWorld Entertainment CEO Joel Manby and other senior executives will unveil their vision for the company and its collection of 11 parks. SeaWorld owns and operates a total of eleven parks, with two other parks – the ones in San Antonio and Orlando – holding orca shows, which typically involve the whales doing tricks and interacting with humans. “Until all of the orcas are rehabilitated and released, any move on the part of SeaWorld is merely an attempt to placate and go back to business as usual”. Which is what the park plans to do, right?
SeaWorld is closing the curtain on killer whale shows at its San Diego park next year.
“It’s going to focus more on the natural setting, natural environment and also the natural behaviors of the whale”, Manby told investors and analysts. I think it’s the right thing to do for the killer whales. Still, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals director Jared Goodman said at the time, “A bigger prison is still a prison”.
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Last Friday, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced that he plans to introduce federal legislation, titled the Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement (ORCA) Act, that would phase out the use of orcas in captivity. In a statement, Schiff called the move a “welcome step”, but added that “as long as SeaWorld holds orcas in captivity, the physical and psychological problems associated with their captivity will persist”. He said: “2016 will be the a year ago of our theatrical killer whale experience in San Diego”. We alter these presentations based on what our guests are telling us.
