What is the controversy with SeaWorld USA?

Scrutiny of SeaWorld reached a crescendo following the release of the 2013 documentary “Blackfish.” The documentary focused on the life of Tilikum, a 12,000-pound orca that killed trainer Dawn Brancheau when he dragged her into a pool at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010.



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PETA notes that “dolphins [at SeaWorld] are being impregnated, sometimes forcefully after being drugged.” Even moreso, PETA highlights how although orca whales generally stick within their pods their whole lifetime in the wild, “SeaWorld transfers orcas between facilities to regularly 'balance' the genetic pool of ...

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Controversial captivity At facilities like SeaWorld, the roughly seven-meter long, 4,500-kilogram animals are kept in cramped enclosures, often completely alien to their natural habitats. Orcas in captivity often display signs of chronic stress and extreme boredom, such as listlessness, stomach ulcers, and self-injury.

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OSHA has issued one willful citation to SeaWorld for exposing its employees to struck-by and drowning hazards when interacting with killer whales. The agency defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

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In an attempt to save face—and after California refused to allow it to build new orca tanks, SeaWorld agreed to stop breeding the animals. It began to distance itself from the controversy by moving away from using the “Shamu” name.

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SeaWorld often keeps dolphins, whales, and other animals trapped with incompatible tankmates. The tension leads to fights and even fatal injuries. Staff members drug some animals to try to relieve their endless frustration.

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Shamu /?æmu?/ (unknown – August 16, 1971) was a female orca captured in October 1965 from a southern resident pod. She was sold to SeaWorld San Diego and became a star attraction. Shamu was the fourth orca ever captured, and the second female. She died in August 1971, after about six years of captivity.

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Tilikum was sold to the United States' SeaWorld theme park chain for performance shows and breeding. The whale's semen was collected and used for artificial insemination to breed a number of captive orcas for SeaWorld's shows and also for its sister park, Loro Parque in Spain.

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The city of San Diego sued SeaWorld Thursday for allegedly failing to pay more than $12.2 million in rent, late fees, and interest.

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In October 2011, PETA filed a lawsuit against SeaWorld in behalf of five wild-captured orcas seeking a declaration that these five orcas are slaves and subjected to involuntary servitude in violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

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As of 2021, SeaWorld has ended its use of orcas in its shows and breeding program. In 2016, SeaWorld announced that it would no longer breed orcas in captivity and that its current orcas would be its last.

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“Most of our orcas were born at SeaWorld, and those that were born in the wild have been in our parks for the majority of their lives,” he wrote. “If we release them into the ocean, they will likely die. In fact, no orca or dolphin born under human care has ever survived release into the wild.

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Since Blackfish's release, what has happened to orcas at SeaWorld? Seven orcas have died at SeaWorld parks since 2013. Unna, Kasatka, Kyara, Kayla, Amaya, Nakai, and Tilikum all died in the abusement park's small tanks.

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SeaWorld San Diego's theatrical Shamu show, One Ocean, will end Sunday and will be replaced this summer with a new Orca Encounter designed to showcase the killer whales' natural behaviors in the wild.

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The demand to see orcas up close was high, and Griffin launched Namu Inc., a whale-catching company, to supply marine mammal parks with orcas from the Salish Sea. Griffin's top customer was SeaWorld. Griffin captured a calf from Puget Sound and killed her mother with a harpoon gun.

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