SeaWorld has said that it plans to phase out the killer whale performances in San Diego. It has been under fire for how the animals are treated for some time now.
It will replace it’s theatrical Shamu show in San Diego with an “informative” experience that has a “conservation message inspiring people to act.”
Shows with Orcas will not be changed at the parks in Texas and Florida. This was stated by Fred Jacobs, a company spokesman.
The intensity to stop the Orca shows has been higher in California.
Adam Schill, Democrat of California, has said he will introduce a bill in Congress that will prohibit the breeding, capture and import/export of whales.
It seems like SeaWorld is being backed into a corner more and more, so it’s definitely time for the company to act on the backlash.
They seem to downplay outside influencers, though.
“We didn’t do anything in San Diego because of the activists,” Joel Manby (SeaWorld’s president and chief exec) said. “We did it because we’re hearing it from our guests.”
Visitors “want experiences that are more natural and look more natural,” Manby said. “We actually think it’s a good thing because our guests will resonate with it more. The theatrical production of the show in that market is what they wanted to see less of.”
Although a change in the circus style shows is considered a welcome step by many, Californian Democrat Adam Schiff seems determined for greater change: “The fact still remains that as long as SeaWorld holds Orcas in captivity, the physical and psychological problems associated with their captivity will persist.”
SeaWorld has been heavily scrutinised since the documentary “Blackfish” unveiled how much the company cares about money, and how little it cares about employee and Orca wellbeing.
Attendance has suffered since 2013. SeaWorld has of course called the documentary inaccurate… But anytime they say that I can’t help muttering “Fuck SeaWorld.”
It was a really great doco with a wide range of interviewees who formerly worked with or for SeaWorld.
