Story highlights
- PETA says SeaWorld "has taken a step forward but more must come"
- SeaWorld has been under fire about its treatment of orcas since the 2013 documentary "Blackfish"
- "SeaWorld has been listening and we're changing. Society is changing and we're changing with it," the company said
(CNN)The killer whales currently in SeaWorld's care will be the last generation of the mammals enclosed at the water parks, according to a company announcement posted on its website.
"Why the big news? SeaWorld has been listening and we're changing. Society is changing and we're changing with it," the company said. "SeaWorld is finding new ways to continue to deliver on our purpose to inspire all our guest(s) to take action to protect wild animals and wild places."
The company has come under fire for its treatment of killer whales since the 2013 CNN documentary "Blackfish." That film profiled one of its whales, Tilikum, who has been involved in the deaths of three people, including SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
Reports recently surfaced that Tilikum may be dying. He is estimated to be 35 years old.
Lolita, a captive killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium, was added to the endangered species listing for Southern Resident Killer Whales by NOAA Fisheries in February. Although her species was already listed as endangered, Lolita was not previously included because there was an exemption for captive members of the population. Lolita has been at the Miami Seaquarium since 1970.
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Killer whales, or orcas, were first put on public display in the 1960s. The best known killer whale shows in the United States are at SeaWorld Parks, which are synonymous with their "Shamu" killer whale shows, seen here.
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SeaWorld's first park opened in San Diego, California, in March 1964 with only a handful of employees, a few dolphins, sea lions, and two aquariums. The park introduced orcas the next year, and they quickly became the stars of the park's shows. A steady stream of celebrities have posed with SeaWorld's killer whales, including actress Halle Berry, seen here in 2009.
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SeaWorld opened its Orlando park in 1973, where the first killer whale was born in captivity in 1985. SeaWorld emphasizes that it is "dedicated to education, entertainment, research and conservation" of all its marine animals. Here, two orcas at SeaWorld Orlando perform in 2000.
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The 1993 hit movie "Free Willy" captured hearts and sparked a massive campaign to free Keiko, the orca that played "Willy" in the movie, from the Mexican amusement park where he performed. Here, Keiko is being prepared to be released into the wild in 1998. In 2002, Keiko spent five weeks journeying across the Atlantic to Norway. He wasn't quite ready to be independent, finding companionship among the Norwegian fishermen and children. He died in December 2003, most likely from pneumonia.
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A male killer whale, Bingo, is transported to the Nagoya Port Aquarium in Japan in December 2011, after the death of the aquarium's only other orca. Marine animal activists say the transfers of orcas between marine parks are unhealthy for these mammals because of the stress and trauma.
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This female killer whale, Morgan, was taken in by a Dutch dolphinarium after being found starving in the shallow waters of the North Sea off the Netherlands coast. She is now performing at Loro Parque in Spain's Canary Islands -- despite an agreement that she would be released into the wild after her rehabilitation. Animal rights activists have mounted a legal challenge for her release.
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Today, there are 45 captive orcas performing at about 10 parks across the world, most of them born in captivity. Here, orcas perform at the Marineland aquatic park in Antibes, in southeastern France.
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"The orcas will continue to live at SeaWorld for many years to come, inspiring guests in new and natural ways," the company said. "They will continue to receive the highest-quality care based on the latest advances in marine veterinary medicine, science and zoological best practices."
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said SeaWorld had not gone far enough.
"PETA has campaigned hard and today there is a payoff for future generations of orcas," PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said in a statement. "For decades orcas, dolphins, beluga whales, seals and many other animals have suffered in SeaWorld confinement, and to do right by them now, SeaWorld must open the tanks to ocean sanctuaries so that these long-suffering animals may have some semblance of a life outside their prison tanks. SeaWorld has taken a step forward but more must come."
In a letter to the Los Angeles Times, Joel Manby, SeaWorld's president and CEO, called the situation a "paradox."
"Customers visit our marine parks, in part, to watch orcas," he said. "But a growing number of people don't think orcas belong in human care."
Celebs shun SeaWorld – Ever since the CNN documentary "Blackfish" raised questions about the safety and humaneness of SeaWorld's practices, musicians booked for the 2014 Bands, Brew & BBQ concert series have been cutting ties with the Florida theme park. Others have also distanced themselves. Country singer Martina McBride, pictured, announced on Facebook that she had canceled her appearance scheduled for March.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – Neil Giraldo and Pat Benatar announced Thursday, January 16, that they will be canceling their performance at Bands, Brew & BBQ.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – The Beach Boys also canceled their show at the event.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – Former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes told a Twitter user he did not know the band's "The Animal Song" was being used during SeaWorld's performances. He said he has written to his publisher about it.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – Edgar Winter told his fans via Facebook that he and his wife, Monique, would do "everything in our power" to stop SeaWorld from using his song "Free Ride" during its performances.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – REO Speedwagon announced December 13 that it had canceled its performance.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – On December 12, Trisha Yearwood pulled out "in light of recent concerns," according to her representative.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – Although Joan Jett was not scheduled to perform at SeaWorld, one of her songs featured prominently in the park's killer whale shows. "I was surprised and upset to see on YouTube that SeaWorld used 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' as the opening music for its cruel and abusive 'Shamu Rocks' show," Jett wrote in a letter to SeaWorld President Jim Atchison on December 11. "I'm among the millions who saw 'Blackfish' and am sickened that my music was blasted without my permission at sound-sensitive marine mammals. ... These intelligent and feeling creatures communicate by sonar and are driven crazy in the tiny tanks in which they are confined." A SeaWorld spokesman said that although the park had licensed the song legally, it will no longer be used in the shows.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – Cheap Trick canceled its February date without releasing a statement.
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – On December 7, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson tweeted, "Heart has chosen to decline their forthcoming performance at SeaWorld on 2/9/14 due to the controversial documentary film 'Black Fish.' " Nancy, left, wrote, "The Sea World show was planned long ago as an Orlando show. Had we known, we'd have said no then. We said no today. Love you all."
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – After the airing of the documentary and the Change.org petition urging Willie Nelson to withdraw from the concert series, Nelson obliged, saying, "What they do at SeaWorld is not OK." He told CNN's Brooke Baldwin: "I don't agree with the way they treat their animals. (Canceling the show) wasn't that hard a deal for me."
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Celebs shun SeaWorld – Barenaked Ladies was among the first acts to question their affiliations with SeaWorld, and the band took to Facebook in November to explain why it was canceling its SeaWorld concert. "This is a complicated issue, and we don't claim to understand all of it, but we don't feel comfortable proceeding with the gig at this time," the band wrote. "The Seaworld folks have been gracious, and extended us invitations to the park to learn more about what they do, and how they do it."
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He announced that the company is partnering with the Humane Society of the United States to advocate for ocean wildlife protection.
The company says the end of the controversial breeding program is just one of changes it is hailing as "historic."
It will also introduce new "natural orca encounters" instead of the old theatrical shows.
"Blackfish" filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite called the SeaWorld announcement "a defining moment."
"The breeding program in particular was central to SeaWorld's business model," she said. "The fact that they are doing away with it marks truly meaningful change. They've been under attack for a while and I think they responded by rebranding themselves. That didn't work. The public was onto them and I think their new management made the decision to fall in step with public opinion. But they didn't take a small step. They took a huge one. It's paradigm shifting."
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-California, who sponsored legislation to protect orcas, applauded the decision.
"I am thrilled to see the wave of opposition build to where SeaWorld finally has done the right thing and ended their captive breeding program of orcas," he said in a statement.
