Have you heard the glorious news? SeaWorld has finally decided to end its orca breeding program.

Right before St. Patrick’s Day, the marine theme park announced that its current generation of orcas will be its last. In a recent LA Times OpEd, Joel Manby, SeaWorld’s CEO, said the change was made because the park wants to help contribute “to the evolving understanding of one of the world’s largest marine mammals [the orca].”

In addition to ending its orca breeding program, SeaWorld will also cease to produce and put on its “theatrical orca whale shows.”

This announcement is great–and long overdue. So overdue that we feel comfortable poking a little fun at the park’s announcement by listing 3 other things–albeit fictional things–that the park will also stop doing now that it’s ending its marine-cruelty program.

1. Lower Ticket Prices

There is not a single theme park in the United States that doesn’t expect a ridiculous amount of money to ride attractions that are over in three minutes, or to look at animals that you typically don’t see every day. Well, now that SeaWorld has decided to stop breeding orcas and training them to put on ridiculous stunts for the masses, the park’s entry price will inevitably drop. After all, everyone knows that orca imprisonment is really expensive.

2. Stop Giving Out Free Marine Pets to Park Guests

It seems only natural that a park that keeps large, magnificent creatures hostage would also be thoughtless enough to give away smaller, but equally wonderful creatures to anyone who enters the park. So, in a groundbreaking move, SeaWorld also will stop giving away precious crabs, fish, and other small types of sea life to the park’s guests. So compassionate…

3. SeaWorld, as a Whole, is Going to Stop Functioning as a Park and Will Become a Marine Sanctuary

Yes, sea sanctuaries can exist and help marine life in need. SeaWorld has finally seen the light, listened to its most adamant critics, and decided to stop profiting off the backs of sea creatures. One of the park’s biggest critics is John Hargrove, author of “Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish” and former senior trainer. A year or so ago, he said the following about the brilliance of sea pens and ocean sanctuaries:

“I’ve spoken with some brilliant-minded people, and I believe sea sanctuaries are a viable solution. They [SeaWorld] should follow the example of the Ringling Brothers, who recently acknowledged that their customers had shifted in their thinking about having elephants in captivity. So by 2018, all of Ringling Brothers’ elephants are going to be retired to elephant sanctuaries. SeaWorld wants to make it sound like it’s impossible. But we’ve been doing sea pens or sea sanctuaries since the seventies. The U.S. Navy had an open-ocean killer whale in a sea pen years ago…”

While we’re obviously trying to have a little fun with this list, we do think it would be great if SeaWorld did begin to use sea pens. Because if the park really did care about marine life, it would do all it could to make all marine creatures’ lives better.

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If you don’t think public backlash against an organization can cause change, think again.

SeaWorld announced that it is ending its orca whale shows next year on the heels of California’s decision to ban the captive breeding of killer whales.

This is an incredibly welcome change. As you may already know, SeaWorld was heavily criticized after the release of “Blackfish,” a documentary about SeaWorld and the incredibly dark-side of keeping captive orcas. If you haven’t seen the documentary yet, SeaWorld of Hurt reports that the film “centers on a captive orca named Tilikum. He was torn away from his family and ocean home when he was 2 years old, and out of frustration caused by nearly 20 years of intense confinement, isolation, and lack of emotional and intellectual stimulation, he has killed three humans.”

In addition to ending its ocra shows (and in response to California’s breeding ban), SeaWorld San Diego plans to go ahead with a $100 million expansion to its killer whale tanks.

While we are thrilled that these shows are ending, we have to acknowledge that there are some bad and “eh” bits of news mixed up in this announcement, too.

The only SeaWorld that’s halting its orca show is SeaWorld San Diego. Also: captive orca breeding is still allowed in other states. And although the orca show is coming to an end in San Diego, the park will still hold captive orcas.

IFL Science reports that SeaWorld San Diego plans to add an “educational experience” that involves the killer whales. The exhibit is supposed to be in a more true-to-life setting and SeaWorld “claims that the intention is to inform and inspire, not treat the intelligent mammals as circus animals.”

We’ll see about that… There are plenty of lawmakers and activists who are underwhelmed with the change and are doubtful it will do much good.

“This is incremental. It’s never going to get them to the end goal of truly improving the situation for the orcas there,” Naomi Rose, a marine scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute, says.

We’ve got to agree with Rose. This seems more like a PR move than a real move that could improve the situation of orcas. We hope we’re wrong.

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Hey, SeaWorld, how much clearer can it get? That’s the question million of American are asking the aquatic theme park under fire for its mistreatment of captive orcas. Now, with support from Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), California may soon make it illegal to keep orcas in captivity for use as entertainment. This. Is. Huge. Not just for the the whales (but mostly), but also for other captive animals including dolphins and circus animals. Once the treatment of orcas comes correct, it’s only a matter of time before it happens for other animals forced into the entertainment business.

According to a statement released by Bloom’s office, the Orca Welfare and Safety Act (AB 2140) would eliminate the use of orcas in performance-based entertainment, and it would also do away with captive breeding programs—the goal being to phase out all orca captivity in California.

“There is no justification for the continued captive display of orcas for entertainment purposes,” Bloom said in the release. “These beautiful creatures are much too large and far too intelligent to be confined in small, concrete tanks for their entire lives. It is time to end the practice of keeping orcas captive for human amusement.”

Bloom added, “In their natural habitat orcas are family-oriented, highly adaptable, socially-complex with cultural traditions and trail only humans as the most intelligent creatures on this planet. However, in captivity, they have shorter lifespans, show increased health problems, live in swimming pool sized habitat that are approximately one ten-thousandth the required size and demonstrate aggressive behavior towards one another and towards humans that has never been documented in the wild. They simply do not belong in captivity.”

SeaWorld once again rebuffed the accusations that it mistreats its animals, criticizing Bloom for associating with “extreme animal rights activists, many of whom regularly campaign against SeaWorld and other accredited marine mammal parks and institutions.” Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Director of “Blackfish” joined Bloom at his office for the press conference. SeaWorld called out PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for a “meritless claim that animals in human care should be considered slaves under the 13th amendment of the US Constitution.”

But people aren’t buying it; SeaWorld’s reputation may only recover with a complete makeover. Jared Goodman, Director of Animal Law at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the only humane solution for the theme park was to fund coastal sanctuaries–a move that could happen if the theme park’s stock continue to drop.

“We engage in business practices that are responsible, sustainable and reflective of the balanced values all Americans share,” SeaWorld spokesman David Koontz said about the theme park.

The news comes on the heels of leaked documents that allege SeaWorld drugs its orcas with benzodiazepines—drugs found in Valium and Xanax— to keep the intelligent, emotional animals complacent in captivity.

[Editor’s note: Sacramento Fox News 40 reports that on April 8, Committee members voted that AB 2140 will be tabled until at least next year.]

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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SeaWorld has been in hot water ever since the documentary “Blackfish” came out last summer. And now, the marine park is being accused of drugging its killer whales.

An affidavit filed in Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and leaked to BuzzFeed, claims that SeaWorld routinely gives benzodiazepines—drugs found in Valium and Xanax—to orcas suffering from mental health issues as a direct result of being in captivity.

Jared Goodman, Director of Animal Law at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), told BuzzFeed that the veterinary records show that “orcas at SeaWorld are given psychotropic drugs to stop them from acting aggressively towards each other in the stressful, frustrating conditions in which they’re confined instead of funding the development of coastal sanctuaries – the only humane solution. ”

According to BuzzFeed, SeaWorld spokesperson Fred Jacobs defended the medication in an emailed statement: “Benzodiazepines are sometimes used in veterinary medicine for the care and treatment of animals, both domestic and in a zoological setting,” Jacobs said. “These medications can be used for sedation for medical procedures, premedication prior to general anesthesia, and for the control of seizures. The use of benzodiazepines is regulated, and these medications are only prescribed to animals by a veterinarian. Their use for cetacean healthcare, including killer whales, is limited, infrequent, and only as clinically indicated based on the assessment of the attending veterinarian. There is no higher priority for SeaWorld than the health and well-being of the animals in its care.”

But critics of SeaWorld say the drugs are only necessary because the highly intelligent animals aren’t able to deal with spending years—decades in some cases—in captivity. It’s the reason Tilikum, the orca at the center of the “Blackfish” documentary, has killed humans, his former trainers state in the film. Tilikum has spent more than 30 years in captivity and been linked to the deaths of three humans.

Orca Research Trust founder, Ingrid Visser, told BuzzFeed the drugs are likely treating a condition “caused by captivity,” and that their violence stems directly from stress as opposed to an inherent animal trait. “They do not cope with being kept in these tanks. They survive to some degree, but they don’t thrive to any degree,” Visser said. “They show stereotypical behaviors that are abnormal, repetitive behaviors like head bobbing, chewing on concrete, and self mutilation by banging the side of their heads on the side of the tank, and there isn’t a single orca living in captivity where you cannot see one of these behaviors, and in many of them you see multiple examples of these behaviors.”

Activists and animal rights groups are calling on supporters to use the hashtag #EndSeaWorld on Twitter and Instagram to help bring awareness to the plight of captive marine mammals.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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#EndSeaWorld

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The shocking must-see documentary “Blackfish” tells the tragic story of a SeaWorld trainer killed by one of its orcas, the six-ton male named Tilikum and the even more tragic tale of why we continue to keep orcas in captivity.

As “Blackfish” highlights, SeaWorld’s cash-Cetaceans come with a steep price. Injuries and casualties are frequent occurrences when working with captive orcas. Senior SeaWorld orca trainer Dawn Brancheau, killed in 2010 by an orca named Tilikum, was the inspiration for the film, and her death has fueled campaigns around the world charging SeaWorld to release captive orcas for reasons Jane Velasquez Mitchell summed up in one sentence: “If you were in a bathtub for 25 years, don’t you think you’d get a little psychotic?”

Velasquez Mitchell’s bathtub reference isn’t far off: In the wild, orcas will swim about 100 miles per day; even the most spacious SeaWorld stadium pools can’t compete with the open ocean. The forced families SeaWorld creates cause intense fighting and bullying between the orcas. Numerous scenes in the film show severe cases of “raking,” a way in which the animals cut each other with their teeth. It’s also  a problem far less common in the wild (so is human death—there are no reported deaths related to human contact with orcas in the wild).

To understand our fixation with SeaWorld and captive orcas, we can look to Ric O’Barry—the “Flipper” dolphin trainer-turned activist (featured in 2009’s Academy Award winning film, “The Cove”). O’Barry was instrumental in creating a cultural fascination with captive marine animals. (Dolphins have had some recent victories though, with India just declaring them “nonhuman persons” and banning all dolphin shows.) Although he has now dedicated his life to bringing awareness to the plight of captive dolphins, it’s not difficult to see the pain of regret still lingering in the lines of O’Barry’s face.

SeaWorld opened its doors in 1964, the same year “Flipper” took to the airwaves. At the top of its list of attractions were the killer whales—iconic orcas with names like Shamu and Namu—taught to perform with humans. Attracting millions of visitors to the theme parks around the country for a chance to get splashed by a killer whale, the crowds became enamored with these massive prisoners who seemed to love nothing more than jumping on cue, as long as buckets full of fishy rewards were involved. Billions of dollars in revenue have been generated by our fixation with captive orcas, and, most notably, the ability to train these giant mammals to perform. SeaWorld has distorted facts about orcas to make it appear as though captivity gives them a better, longer life. (Maybe they’re marketing team could do some PR work for Guantanamo?) Experts in the film say wild orcas live about as long as humans, but SeaWorld drops that number down to 25-35 years, which is the average lifespan of an orca in captivity.

“Blackfish” boldly details the tragic capture of orcas in the late 1960s and ’70s—a SeaWorld commissioned practice of essentially kidnapping babies from their mothers. One of the most memorable scenes from the film is an emotional confession from a former whaler who helped capture the orca babies. Orcas spend their entire lives with their families; and each group has its own language, experts in the film explain.

The orca brain is highly developed for emotional connections, too. Unlike human brains where reason and logic are enhanced, orcas (and presumably other Cetaceans) are wired for strong emotional connections. Another one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the film is when former SeaWorld trainers tell the stories of separating mother and baby orcas (born in captivity). The mothers made sounds never before heard—long range sounds—in efforts that seemed clearly pointed towards reunion with their calves. They sulked and moaned for days.

The film’s strengths come from both excellent researching—the video clips and perverse SeaWorld promo videos are absolutely priceless—and, more notably, the number of former SeaWorld trainers who have since become eloquent voices for the animals. Many of the trainers worked with Tilikum, who is the largest orca in captivity. Brancheau’s death marked the third death involving Tilikum (which is the Chinook word for “friend”).

But experts and the trainers who knew him say Tilikum isn’t a ruthless killer, but rather a confused and stressed animal who has been living in captivity for more than thirty years. He’s been a valued performer for SeaWorld, but is most valuable to the company as a sperm donor. He’s sired more than 20 offspring—more than half of the orcas in captivity–according to the film.

SeaWorld made attempts to mitigate any negative press resulting from the film. The New York Times reported that the company sent “a detailed critique” of the film to some fifty movie critics. Tactics used by SeaWorld “might conceivably include informational advertising, a Web-based countercampaign or perhaps a request for some sort of access to CNN, which picked up television rights to “Blackfish” through its CNN Films unit and plans to broadcast the movie on Oct. 24.”

Like “The Cove,” “Blackfish” succeeds in capturing just how intelligent and emotional these animals are. And, more importantly, just how barbaric our treatment of them is. It can be difficult to argue about whether or not eating meat is an ethical human practice, but the discussion about ending the practice of keeping captive whales seems pretty cut an dry. Towards the end of the film, one of the trainers tearfully suggests that in 50 years we’ll hopefully look back on keeping orcas in captivity as a barbaric practice. But, hopefully, Tilikum doesn’t have to wait that long.

“Blackfish“ is currently playing in select theaters.



Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image: Scott Kinmartin

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