Embattled amusement-park operator SeaWorld Entertainment said Thursday that the killer whales currently living at its facilities will be its last as it will stop breeding them immediately and phase out theatrical orca shows.

The move comes nearly three years after SeaWorld came under pressure for its treatment of killer whales and their trainers in the documentary Blackfish.

The company had already announced plans to end killer-whale shows at its San Diego park following regulatory scrutiny in California.

SeaWorld will turn its attention to "new, inspiring, natural orca encounters" emphasizing enrichment, exercise and health while its killer whales are alive, CEO Joel Manby said on a conference call.

The orca shows will end at its San Diego park in 2017, while the San Antonio and Orlando parks will end the shows by 2019.

The company has been under heavy pressure from animal-rights activists, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other watchdog groups, to end shows and breeding.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/03/17/seaworld-orcas-killer-whales/81900498/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EISkgIvsrXw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-ga5XE_piI

After SeaWorld, a 'Blackfish effect' on circuses and zoos?


Now that SeaWorld has made the stunning announcement that it's moving away from housing killer whales in the future, the question some animal rights activists and parents are asking is, what's next? Could more circuses, zoos and aquariums dramatically scale back when it comes to the animals they currently keep in captivity?

Change is already happening around the globe, said Lisa Lange, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

"What we're seeing is the 'Blackfish' effect," said Lange, referring to the powerful documentary showcased on CNN in 2013, which captivated the American audience. "The public has completely changed its opinion on exploiting and killing animals for entertainment."

Lange points to Mexico, which has banned animal circuses; Spain, where a number of cities have banned bullfighting; and the United States, where cities such as Los Angeles and Oakland, California, along with others, have banned the use of the bullhook, a tool used to handle and train elephants.

Those moves were the "beginning of the end" for a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus tradition, said Lange. The circus announced in January that starting in May, a year and a half earlier than expected, it would no longer tour with elephants. The elephants will be taken to the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation in rural central Florida.


http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/18/health/seaworld-blackfish-effect-circuses-zoos/index.html