SeaWorld pulls plug on Shamu
SeaWorld is ending orca shows at its San Diego park after visitors there complained, but the killerwhale acts will remain in San Antonio.
SAN ANTONIO — SeaWorld Entertainment plans to shake off its troubles by overhauling its public image and building up its parks, including the one on San Antonio’s west side, where attendance has declined in recent months.
Company executives Monday unveiled a roadmap to “stabilize and grow” the company by, among other things, developing resorts in San Antonio and the other two cities where it has water parks.
The roadmap also targets SeaWorld’s public image, which was tarnished in 2013 when the “Blackfish” documentary criticized its treatment of killer whales. The company suffered from negative publicity during a recent legal battle in California over its ability to breed whales.
On Monday, SeaWorld said that in response to customer feedback, it is ending its theatrical orca show in San Diego next year. Instead, it will showcase the orcas in “natural settings” and displaying “natural behaviors” with a strong conservation message, executives said. No changes are in store for orca shows in San Antonio and Orlando.
In a webcast to investors, CEO and President Joel Manby said he wants SeaWorld to be thought of as a “brand with a purpose,” such as Whole Foods Market and Tom’s Shoes, which donates a pair of shoes to a needy child for every purchase a customer makes.
“I don’t see any reason why SeaWorld can’t be one of those brands,” he said. “I know we aren’ t there today. I know we have a ways to go.”
The company will be more aggressive in touting its animal rescue programs and will make more of an effort to educate visitors about the plight of animals such as cheetahs and sharks, Manby said. It will turn its parks “inside out” to give visitors a look at employees taking care of animals.
Park employees soon will be known as “animal ambassadors” and will wear nametags with statements such as “I protect penguins,” executives said. They will sometimes lead season pass holders on volunteer excursions such as rescue operations.
The Humane Society responded to SeaWorld’s announcement by criticizing the company for not ending the orca shows in San Antonio and Orlando.
“We urge SeaWorld to make its pledge more explicit and to phase out or ca acts at all of its facilities, to end its breeding program, and to work with us on a plan to put the orcas in suitable environments,” the nonprofit said in a news release.