After the scathing documentary Blackfish, declining revenue, protests, social media backlash, Sea World announced it is ending its breeding program of orcas and will be phasing out the live orca shows. Sea World hasn't purchased wild caught orcas for decades so when the whales currently imprisoned, enslaved living at the parks die, it will be the end of live orcas at Sea World.
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This is so long overdue. Their primary breeding male Tillikum had killed a person before Sea World acquired him and yet they bred him and had him in physical contact with humans. Tllikum has been repeatedly bred to his own female relations, through artificial insemination. First two rules of animal husbandry, do not breed aggressive animals, do not inbreed. Sea World failed at both and all for profit.
They are refusing to retrain and release the captive whales, insisting they cannot survive in the wild, and cite Keiko's death as proof that releasing is a failure. This despite the fact Keiko lived successfully in the wild, hunting and interacting with other wild orcas until his death from pneumonia.
Link
This is so long overdue. Their primary breeding male Tillikum had killed a person before Sea World acquired him and yet they bred him and had him in physical contact with humans. Tllikum has been repeatedly bred to his own female relations, through artificial insemination. First two rules of animal husbandry, do not breed aggressive animals, do not inbreed. Sea World failed at both and all for profit.
They are refusing to retrain and release the captive whales, insisting they cannot survive in the wild, and cite Keiko's death as proof that releasing is a failure. This despite the fact Keiko lived successfully in the wild, hunting and interacting with other wild orcas until his death from pneumonia.