Today, trainers are able to effectively monitor the animals' health, weigh them, clean teeth, and perform sonograms on females to check on pregnancies, to name just a few things.
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Dolphins of SeaWorld Entertainment will no longer have trainers riding on top of them. The action came earlier in the month after a shareholder proposal made in December by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which sought the end of what it described as “dolphin surfing” and “circus-style” entertainment.
SeaWorld spokeswoman Aimee Jeansonne-Becka said the company does not need the lift floors anymore; trainers no longer perform in the water with killer whales.
Under unrelenting pressure from animal rights groups and suffering from a drop in ticket sales, SeaWorld announced Thursday it was ending its orca breeding program and stopping its traditional killer whale shows. SeaWorld isn't the only company to lose a signature and popular icon. Ringling Bros.
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and Humane Society of the US issued a report on the topic as early as 2003, pointing out that feeding throughout the day by members of the public led to both obese and underweight dolphins, because some animals would become more aggressive than others.
The company has been under scrutiny over its treatment of whales and dolphins for a decade. In 2010, an orca, Tilikum, killed a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando. The killer whale was the subject of a 2013 documentary, Blackfish, that eventually led SeaWorld to stop breeding orcas in captivity.
As of September 20, 2023 there are:In the wild, male orcas live to an average of 30 years (maximum 50-60 years) and 46 years for females (maximum 80-90 years). At least 176 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 miscarried or still-born calves. SeaWorld holds 18 orcas in its three parks in the United States.
SeaWorld announced in March 2016 that Tilikum's health was deteriorating, and it was thought he had a lung infection due to bacterial pneumonia. In May 2016, it was reported Tilikum's health was improving. On January 6, 2017, SeaWorld announced that Tilikum had died early in the morning.
Is It Really Possible to Swim with Killer Whales? Yes!There are a handful of tour operators that offer boat excursions allowing you to swim with killer whales off the coast of Norway. You'll also be in with a chance of seeing other whales, like humpbacks, too.