When did SeaWorld stop allowing trainers in the water?

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia voted in a 2-1 decision to uphold safety requirements issued by the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 2010 that prohibit SeaWorld animal trainers from getting too close to potentially dangerous killer whales.



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OSHA came back with the decision that SeaWorld was obligated to protect their trainers from any known risk, and having them in the water with the ocean's top predator was way too dangerous to ever have happen again. So the ruling stood, despite many appeals to judges in various levels of court.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The estimated total pay for a Animal Trainer at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is $21 per hour.

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Following Brancheau's death, Tilikum stayed at the park until he died in 2017 from a lung infection.

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SeaWorld Orlando has always known that Tilikum, a 12,000-pound orca that killed trainer Dawn Brancheau on Wednesday, could be a particularly dangerous killer whale. SeaWorld trainers were forbidden from swimming with Tilikum, as they often did with the resort's seven other orcas.

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On February 24, 2010, Tilikum killed Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old SeaWorld trainer. Brancheau was killed following a Dine with Shamu show. The veteran trainer was rubbing Tilikum as part of a post-show routine when the orca grabbed her by her ponytail and pulled her into the water.

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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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Fourth Quarter 2022 Results In the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company hosted approximately 4.9 million guests, generated record total revenues of $390.5 million, net income of $49.0 million, the second highest for the Company, and record Adjusted EBITDA of $153.7 million.

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As of August 21, 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.

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SeaWorld has been the subject of controversy before. Tilikum pulled SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau into the water in 2010, killing her after a show at the theme park. In the wake of Brancheau's death, SeaWorld removed trainers from the water and implemented new safety procedures.

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On February 24, 2010, toward the end of a Dine with Shamu show at SeaWorld Orlando, the orca Tilikum pulled down an experienced trainer. Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old with extensive training experience, drowned as at least two dozen tourists looked on from above a whale tank and from an underwater viewing area.

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Confinement to tiny tanks can cause dolphins to become stressed, neurotic, and aggressive. This endangers not only other dolphins but also humans—including children—who are allowed to interact with them. At SeaWorld, children are put at risk every day when their parents pay for them to be able to touch the dolphins.

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