Animals captive for entertainment have become a controversial issue. There has been much talk of abuse and neglect being done to animals that are being used for entertainment. One such entertainment is now coming to an end, as SeaWorld San Diego puts an end to Orca shows.
The Orca shows in SeaWorld San Diego has become the focus of many animal rights activists ever since it has been revealed that the killer whales there have been undergoing neglect and abuse. This has been highlighted by the story of Tilikum, the most famous Orca at SeaWorld San Diego. The timing to end the Orca shows could not have come at a much worse time, as Tilikum has recently passed away.
SeaWorld San Diego is putting to an end the "One Ocean" Orca show. Though SeaWorld San Diego would end the Orca shows there, its other branches would continue to have Orca shows all the way to 2019. SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Antonio will still have the Orca shows, but they have been planned to be phased out as well by 2019.
Though the killer whales won't be performing in front of people anymore, they would still be confined as SeaWorld San Diego would have them for public viewing. The Orca habitat would be enlarged while the killer whales could still be viewed in "Orca Encounter," according to One Green Planet. The aim of this exhibit is to make the habitat as close as possible to the natural habitat of the killer whales.
SeaWorld San Diego still has 11 Orcas. For "Orca Encounter," the killer whales will be shown how they eat and live. It is said to be an educational experience for park visitors so as to see how killer whales actually are if they are out in the ocean, as The Independent reports. That would mean seeing the killer whales behave as they would in the ocean, as explained by Al Garver, a former Orca trainer and now Vice-President of zoological operations at SeaWorld San Diego.
SeaWorld San Diego has been affected by declining visitors due to the effects of "Blackfish," which is a documentary of how Orcas have been abused and neglected in captivity. The documentary has also shown that the killer whales like Tilikum are depressed and unhappy, which makes them potentially dangerous. Tilikum has been involved in a number of trainer deaths.
Animals captive for entertainment remain to be controversial. SeaWorld San Diego puts an end to Orca shows, one of the controversial parts of animals for entertainment. Recently also the world's oldest killer whale has died.
