That’s the existential threat the San Diego theme park is facing after this week’s stunning decision by the California Coastal Commission to ban captive breeding of the park’s killer whales – as a condition of building a much larger $100-million holding facility.
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During the meeting, SeaWorld veterinarian Hendrik Nollens referred to accusations made by the park’s critics as “outlandish” while noting that the park has “nothing but the whales’ best interest at heart”.
There are an estimated 56 orcas in captivity worldwide, with 24 of them owned by SeaWorld across each of its San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando parks. “It will additionally allow our invitees to view the whales show real habits in all areas of the day”.
But not all natural behaviors. This decision comes down from a ruling by the California Coastal Commission, which oversees major construction projects along the Golden State’s coast.
SeaWorld says denying orcas’ their ability to breed is cruel, but it was unclear Friday whether the corporation will fight such a ban at its California park and risk further hurting attendance.
Parts of the old facility, built in 1995, will be demolished to make room for a 5.2-million gallon tank and a 450,000-gallon pool, according to the commission’s report.
The breeding ban includes natural reproduction, as well as calves that would have been born from artificial insemination.
SeaWorld in California has finally been banned from breeding and trading any animals held in captivity.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) praised this ruling where they said that this can effectively put an end to the orca whale aquarium.
Jennifer Fearing, a lobbyist for The Human Society of the United States, told the Associated Press that this could be a sticky situation for SeaWorld. PETA’s statement revealed how this rule can ensure that no more orcas will be condemned to a nonlife of loneliness, filled with misery and deprivation.
This ruling is more of a condition, as the commission also approved SeaWorld’s plans to more than double the size of the park’s orca habitat.
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In the past years, SeaWorld was already under heavy criticism especially in 2013, when the release of the documentary “Blackfish” attacked the company’s killer whale program.
