USA: SeaWorld Stops Orca Breeding

As SeaWorld Entertainment announced last week, the US-based theme park operator will end all orca breeding as of now. Thus, the killer whales currently in the company’s care will be the last generation of orcas at SeaWorld. In November last year, the company already gave notice of its intention to replace the current orca shows by a new, informative way of presenting the animals (cf. EAP News from November 12, 2015). “SeaWorld has introduced more than 400 million guests to orcas, and we are proud of our part in contributing to the human understanding of these animals. As society's understanding of orcas continues to change, SeaWorld is changing with it. By making this the last generation of orcas in our care and reimagining how guests will encounter these beautiful animals, we are fulfilling our mission of providing visitors to our parks with experiences that matter,” says Joel Manby, President and CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment.

In the course of their “Blue World” project, the company is currently working on its new orca attraction. Until 2019, the new form of killer whale presentation will be introduced to all three SeaWorld parks. The first park to launch the attraction will be SeaWorld San Diego next year. Read more about the new attraction in our next EAP issue (3/2016). (eap)