Animal lovers rejoice! San Diego SeaWorld has announced that it is to call it a day for it’s theatrical Orca shows.
The decision, viewed by many as an effort to clean up the reputation of the shows in the public eye and bring people back around to the SeaWorld experience, was announced in a document yesterday.
The company will be phasing out the shows during the upcoming year and replacing them with more ‘natural’ shows, focused on conservation.
It’s been a tough few years for SeaWorld.
Since the release of the wildly successful documentary Blackfish, the public opinion concerning Orca shows and ocean mammals kept in captivity has dramatically altered.
The comments made by Harry Styles recently have proven to cause a spike in negative opinion surrounding the parks, with attendance taking a plunge.
While the decision to stop the theatrical shows in San Diego is a step in the right direction, there is a long way to go however, in the fight to stop inhumane treatment of these intelligent animals.
PETA responded to the decision in a statement, saying “This move is like no longer whipping lions in a circus act but keeping them locked inside cages for life.”
Living conditions for the animals is not changed through the decision to stop the shows, with Orcas still being kept in the same size tanks.
The breeding of captive Orcas is still legal in many states and the figures prove that captive whales do not live as long as their wild counterparts. As long as captive breeding still exists, Orca’s will continue to be mistreated for human entertainment.
While this long over-due decision is welcomed, the real celebration will come when breeding is stopped altogether and we begin the empty the tanks!
Read PETA’s full response below:
“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.
This move is like no longer whipping lions in a circus act but keeping them locked inside cages for life or no longer beating dogs but never letting them out of crates.
As U.S. Rep. Adam B. Schiff indicated when he introduced the federal orca-protection bill, no change to SeaWorld’s tanks will be sufficient to satisfy the needs of these animals.
That’s why PETA is calling on SeaWorld to stop breeding orcas and start building sea sanctuaries where they can experience an actual natural setting and finally thrive.”