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 SeaWorld Entertainment Inc's <SEAS.N> decision came after it
pledged in November to replace its signature "Shamu" killer whale
shows in San Diego with modified presentations of the animals that
focused on conservation.
"We don’t need all these theatrical 'tricks,'” SeaWorld President
Joel Manby said on a conference call with reporters. Manby said the
parks will use birth control to halt reproduction among its killer
whales, also known as orcas.
SeaWorld, which operates marine parks in San Diego, Orlando and San
Antonio, has a total of 29 killers whales, including six on loan to
a park in Spain. Five of them were captured in the wild, but it has
not caught orcas at sea for almost 40 years.
The parks have been criticized for their treatment of the captive
marine mammals, with some activists seeking an end to public
exhibition of killer whales altogether.
 The criticism intensified after three orcas died at SeaWorld San
Antonio within a six-month span in 2015. In a statement responding
to the deaths, the company said: "We have the highest standard of
care for all animals at our parks."
The life span of a killer whale in the wild is typically 30 years
for males and 50 for females, with some females living as long as
100 years, according to the website of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. SeaWorld's oldest killer whale, Corky,
is a 51-year-old female.
SeaWorld, whose shares rose 8.2 percent on Thursday, also said it
will scrap plans for a $100 million project called "Blue World" to
enlarge its 7-million-gallon orca habitat at SeaWorld San Diego.
Some activists have called for SeaWorld to release its orcas into
coastal sanctuaries, but the company says whales born or raised in
captivity would likely die in the wild.
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SeaWorld faced mounting criticism after the release of the 2013
documentary "Blackfish," which depicted the captivity and public
exhibition of killer whales as inherently cruel.
"The fact that SeaWorld is doing away with orca breeding marks truly
meaningful change," said Gabriela Cowperthwaite, director of
"Blackfish."
Animal rights group People for Ethical Treatment of Animals said
SeaWorld had taken a step forward but renewed a call for the company
to link its tanks to ocean sanctuaries.
Under the new plan the orcas will still be shown to visitors at set
times, but viewing areas will be reconfigured to "reflect the
natural world" with a program focusing on "orca enrichment, exercise
and overall health," according to the SeaWorld website.
SeaWorld also said it will partner with the Humane Society of the
United States and had set aside $50 million to push for an end to
commercial whaling and seal hunting as well as the killing of sharks
for their fins over the next five years.
(Additional reporting by Ramkumar Iyer in Bengaluru, Barbara Liston
in Orlando and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Ted Kerr,
Sara Catania and Jeffrey Benkoe)
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