Sea World: Only Time "Whale" Tell If it's Latest Gambit Will Pay
I apologize for waiting for three months to post a new article, but I was busy with some endeavors. But since the hiatus a lot has happened in the zoological world. For today, we're taking another in-depth look at everyone's favorite zoological punching bag: Sea World. The controversial entertainment corporation that runs three marine theme parks in the United States (San Diego, Orlando, and San Antonio) made the decision to end orca breeding effective immediately. In the next few decades, there will be no more killer whales in captivity. Thoughts? There's a lot of them and it's safe to say that some are happy and some are not.
Sea World has put in hot water for the past six years. With the death of senior trainer Dawn Brancheau by resident killer whale Tilikum, a massive leviathan responsible for the deaths of two other humans and the release of the documentary Blackfish, Sea World's attendance and profits have plunged from their once great peak. And the aggressive expansion of the theme park business by Disney and Universal has brought the competition to a higher level, with Disney playing it's profitable Star Wars and Marvel cards and Universal banking on the "universal" appeal of Harry Potter. And what has Sea World rolled out in the past years? Save for a penguin ride that was met with lukewarm reviews, Sea World's aging attractions have relied on it's live animal shows for far too long to keep the turnstiles turning and it's clear that Sea World cannot rely on their profitable black-and-white mammals to sustain their parks (anyone realize that black-and-white animals tend to be the most profitable for zoos? Pandas?
Sea World fought the critics hard in the past three years. They initiated an aggressive marketing campaign to convince their customers that Sea World was simply a misunderstood zoological facility that was only doing the best for their killer whales. They agreed to restrictions regarding the killer whale trainers' contact with the orcas and even rolled out a new expansion plan entitled Blue World. But that ambitious plan fizzled out when the California Coastal Commission approved the expansion with one addition: stop breeding the killer whales or forget Blue World. To invest in a multimillion dollar project for a temporary exhibit is extremely risky at best and Sea World had to weigh their options. While attendance and profits had more or less stabilized, the marine park company faced a ton of headaches from animal rights activists and a decreasing customer pool. In the end, Sea World decided to stop breeding their controversial icons once and for all.
If you take a closer look, you get more of the juicier bits to this story. For one, Sea World, in an effort to win back support from animal lovers, partnered with the Humane Society to announce the end of killer whale breeding. This wasn't surprising to the common eye, the Humane Society is the number one animal protection organization in the country. But the Humane Society has hidden motives up their crisp sleeves and they're not the most honest organization in the world. In fact, they tried to sue Ringling Bros. in a coalition of animal rights organizations for Ringling's treatment of circus elephants, while paying off a key witness.
If you're super worried about the future of Sea World, don't fear too much. Killer whales can live anywhere from 25-60 years (depending on their health, gender, and subspecies). In captivity, it tends to be a little shorter, but many of Sea World's killer whales are young and Sea World Orlando's dominant female Takara is also pregnant. The killer whale shows will end within the next couple years so never fear, there's still at least four decades before killer whales go extinct in captivity (taking into account if the youngest killer whale survives to around 40).
Whatever the motives of Sea World (it's safe to assume that they ended orca breeding to increase profits and regain it's image), the age of the orca is over. It's odd to think that less than a decade ago, trainers exploded from the water aloft killer whales' snout and crowds packed the grandstands to get the chance to be splashed from one of the world's top predators. So much has changed in so little time. Is it for the better? Certainly Sea World will never be the same. It's the equivalent if Disneyland decided to remove Pirates of the Caribbean or Universal Studios took out their studio tour. It probably won't hurt business in the long run, but Sea World has essentially lost their most iconic attraction. And despite widespread applause from many critics who fought bitterly for the killer whales' "release", there are others complaining about how Sea World "gave up".
As someone who supports Sea World (not for the entertainment value, but for it's potential to teach millions about marine life), it was hard to accept that decision. But if you look at it, Sea World has been fighting tooth and nail for their beloved Shamus for more than three years and things haven't turned for the better. Their stock increased 10% after the announcement, although I was surprised to see the negative comments on Facebook and Twitter about the decision. Mostly I've been seeing "Die Sea World!" or "Sea World sucks!" or "Free the killer whales!"
In a society where we value our independence and freedom the most (if you don't believe me, watch the LEGO Movie or the Hunger Games), Sea World had become a symbol of captivity where majestic marine mammals were forced to live in tiny conditions while being withheld to food to perform circus tricks. Sea World was desperate to shed this image, although they seem to have dug in their heels with certain lines. For example, while the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have repeatedly called Sea World to release their killer whales into open-water sanctuaries, this scenario doesn't seem likely. There are many difficulties in constructing these (including costs for maintenance and labor) open-water sanctuaries, not to mention that it's never been done before and Sea World doesn't seem interested on spending millions of dollars on something that will run it's course in the next couple decades.
I've written three articles about Sea World, debating on what they should do to convince the public that they're run legitimately. Honestly, Sea World is a bit like Hillary Clinton. They're both painted as these evil, untrustworthy figures while in real life, they're probably just normal, neither good nor bad. I think Sea World gets a lot of unwarranted hate for being the poster boy of captive animals. Sure, some of their practices can be improved and I'd wager that soon enough, the public will want dolphins out of captivity. What will Sea World do? Evolve, like they always have. PETA has long predicted that Sea World was just a desperate sinking ship just waiting to fail after relentless hammering from animal rights activists and concerned citizens alike. But Sea World surprised people with this move and we'll have to wait and see if faith will be restored in Sea World. Who knows? There are some consequences. Already some marine mammal researchers are complaining that since Sea World is ending their killer whaler program, they cannot conduct their research (conducting research on wild orca populations is risky, expensive, and unpredictable) effectively. Some dissatisfied customers are boycotting Sea World. Still others are unhappy that Sea World hasn't taken their killer whales out completely. Sea World compromised at the end and you know what they say about compromises: everyone leaves just a little bit angry.
Author's Note: Sea World has become a polarizing figure in recent years, the butt of the joke for many and the target for others. It didn't help that Sea World's initial attempts to quell the public backfired and got even more people enraged. I am not a hater of Sea World, but neither do I outright support them. They are like any other zoological facility, some of their efforts are good and others can be improved. This is the end of an era for Sea World. They banked on their killer whales to get them to the top and the massive marine mammals propelled them center stage. Now it's up to them to find a new way to enthrall children and adults alike with the majesty and beauty of marine life.
As someone who supports Sea World (not for the entertainment value, but for it's potential to teach millions about marine life), it was hard to accept that decision. But if you look at it, Sea World has been fighting tooth and nail for their beloved Shamus for more than three years and things haven't turned for the better. Their stock increased 10% after the announcement, although I was surprised to see the negative comments on Facebook and Twitter about the decision. Mostly I've been seeing "Die Sea World!" or "Sea World sucks!" or "Free the killer whales!"
In a society where we value our independence and freedom the most (if you don't believe me, watch the LEGO Movie or the Hunger Games), Sea World had become a symbol of captivity where majestic marine mammals were forced to live in tiny conditions while being withheld to food to perform circus tricks. Sea World was desperate to shed this image, although they seem to have dug in their heels with certain lines. For example, while the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have repeatedly called Sea World to release their killer whales into open-water sanctuaries, this scenario doesn't seem likely. There are many difficulties in constructing these (including costs for maintenance and labor) open-water sanctuaries, not to mention that it's never been done before and Sea World doesn't seem interested on spending millions of dollars on something that will run it's course in the next couple decades.
I've written three articles about Sea World, debating on what they should do to convince the public that they're run legitimately. Honestly, Sea World is a bit like Hillary Clinton. They're both painted as these evil, untrustworthy figures while in real life, they're probably just normal, neither good nor bad. I think Sea World gets a lot of unwarranted hate for being the poster boy of captive animals. Sure, some of their practices can be improved and I'd wager that soon enough, the public will want dolphins out of captivity. What will Sea World do? Evolve, like they always have. PETA has long predicted that Sea World was just a desperate sinking ship just waiting to fail after relentless hammering from animal rights activists and concerned citizens alike. But Sea World surprised people with this move and we'll have to wait and see if faith will be restored in Sea World. Who knows? There are some consequences. Already some marine mammal researchers are complaining that since Sea World is ending their killer whaler program, they cannot conduct their research (conducting research on wild orca populations is risky, expensive, and unpredictable) effectively. Some dissatisfied customers are boycotting Sea World. Still others are unhappy that Sea World hasn't taken their killer whales out completely. Sea World compromised at the end and you know what they say about compromises: everyone leaves just a little bit angry.
Author's Note: Sea World has become a polarizing figure in recent years, the butt of the joke for many and the target for others. It didn't help that Sea World's initial attempts to quell the public backfired and got even more people enraged. I am not a hater of Sea World, but neither do I outright support them. They are like any other zoological facility, some of their efforts are good and others can be improved. This is the end of an era for Sea World. They banked on their killer whales to get them to the top and the massive marine mammals propelled them center stage. Now it's up to them to find a new way to enthrall children and adults alike with the majesty and beauty of marine life.
