SeaWorld Announces Plans to Phase Out Killer Whale Show

[SoCalNative]

Source: KTLA News

SeaWorld intends to phase out its longstanding killer whale show at its San Diego park next year as part of a comprehensive strategy unveiled Monday to re-position the embattled company amid persistent criticisms of how it treats its orcas.

In its place would be a new orca experience debuting in 2017, described as “informative” and designed to take place in a more natural setting that would carry a “conservation message inspiring people to act.”

Read more: http://ktla.com/2015/11/09/seaworld-to-phase-out-killer-whale-show/

[Scootaloo]

1. But not the captivity of the animals themselves

[rbixby]

3. Sad as it is, I don't know if there's much that can be done

The Orcas have no survival skills out in the wild, so I think they'd just starve out there. Its pretty sad all around.

[totodeinhere]

4. Yes, unfortunately that is true. It's too late for them. But it is a step in the right

direction to phase the program out so that other whales will not be subjected to this.

The Orcas presently in captivity deserve to live out the rest of their lives under the most humane conditions possible.

[olddots]

2. Is Sea World too big to fail ?

I hope not , it reminds me of Jurasic Park .

[marble falls]

5. Whoooo-hoooo! I was afraid their slick 'but we love killer whales' ad campaign might work....

I went once in the mid-eighties and it really creeped me out. Watching 'Blackfish' really fixed it for me. I gave up rodeos after watching a horse die in the arena with my two daughters sitting next to me, and Ringling Brothers giving up elephants makes me more likely to go to circuses sometime in the future.

The idea that animals are dying for our entertainment is unacceptable.

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. I don't think anything much is changing (from watching the news) besides turning the show

from the entertainment of high jumps, breaches and audience splashing to an education show.

That said, I am neither on the side of SeaWorld nor "Blackfish." It's unfortunate she took such liberties with the truth as the actual story is just as heartbreaking. I was horrified for buying into the entire movie line just as much as I'm horrified by the shows, but it did create a bunch of overnight armchair activists... willing to post about it online (albeit with horribly skewed information that rivals that of SeaWorld educators) I think it's time to end breeding and care for the whales already there with larger space. What was missing from the announcement was the commitment to stop breeding.

[passiveporcupine]

7. I agree...they need to stop breeding

and just let the remaining whales live out their lives in peace (if not good health).

[Cal Carpenter]

9. Can you point me to a good critique of Blackfish?

I just watched it the other day on Netflix. I don't doubt that there are issues with the film, but googling mostly gets me SeaWorld's own rebuttals which isn't really a good place to start. Is there a good, nuanced, relatively independent article about it anywhere?

[marble falls]

10. Just various things I've read over the years. I felt Blackfish was well documented and jibbed ....

with what I've learned over the years. The dorsal fin thing in caged whales does it all by it for me without even having to learn what it was about. Animals are not here to entertain us to the detriment of their health.

[Cal Carpenter]

11. Thanks

but I was replying to ScreamingMeemie regarding criticisms of the film.

I'm no fan of Sea World or any whales in captivity, fwiw.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. I can... at least, I thought it was a rather well-written

Last edited Tue Nov 10, 2015, 07:07 PM - Edit history (1)

post...by of all people, an entertainment lawyer:

http://www.legalrollercoaster.com/2013/11/blackfish-white-lies-pt-1-sorry-i.html


"Blackfish" did an incredible job of bringing us all to tears, and it would have done the same without footage editing to create a story. I think that's where they ran into trouble when it came to the Academy at awards time. A visit to SeaWorld and seeing the whales post-fun-show is typically all most people need to realize what we have done here.


Disclaimer: I am anti-whales-for-entertainment and I advocate for the end of captive breeding, but I would hate to see all of the good that the rescue faction of SeaWorld does go in the crapper.

[Cal Carpenter]

13. Thanks!

I'll dig into it later - looks like he has a lot to say!

I am with you as for your disclaimer. Having been involved with various types of activism I think there is a time and place for passionate and even over-the-top hyperbole, but not for misdirection/misinformation, and there can be a fine line there. I've seen other people mention that while they think Sea World and that type of animal entertainment is horrible, they also think Blackfish doesn't really present the real story. So since I watched it I've been curious.

Anyway, thanks again.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Lives matter, period.