On this day in vegan history · March 17, 2016
SeaWorld Ends Orca Breeding
After decades of theatrical Shamu shows and years of Blackfish backlash, SeaWorld announced the orcas already in its tanks would be the last it ever bred.
The facts
- Date
- March 17, 2016
- Who announced it
- Joel Manby, SeaWorld President and CEO
- Regulatory pressure
- California Coastal Commission barred captive breeding as a condition of San Diego's planned tank expansion, October 2015
- Shows phased out
- Theatrical orca shows ended in San Diego (2017) and in Orlando and San Antonio (2019)
On March 17, 2016, SeaWorld's president and CEO Joel Manby announced that the company would end its orca breeding program, making the whales already in its care the last generation SeaWorld would ever hold. The reversal followed three years of falling attendance and stock price after the 2013 documentary Blackfish turned public opinion against orca captivity, and it came months after the California Coastal Commission ruled that SeaWorld's San Diego park could only expand its tanks if it stopped breeding orcas there. SeaWorld paired the announcement with a new partnership with the Humane Society of the United States and said it would phase out theatrical orca shows at all three of its parks by 2019, replacing them with education-focused encounters. One orca, Takara, was already pregnant when the announcement was made.
In their words
The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.
-
By making this the last generation of orcas in our care and reimagining how guests will encounter these beautiful animals, we are fulfilling our mission of providing visitors to our parks with experiences that matter.
Joel Manby, SeaWorld President and CEO, in SeaWorld's March 17, 2016 press release
Source: PR Newswire (SeaWorld Entertainment) -
SeaWorld's commitment to end breeding of orcas is a long-held goal of many animal advocacy organizations, and we commend the company for making this game-changing commitment,
Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, in SeaWorld's March 17, 2016 press release
Source: PR Newswire (SeaWorld Entertainment)
Why it still matters
It was the moment the loudest holdout in marine mammal captivity admitted the public had already decided the issue. The orcas alive that day would live out their lives at SeaWorld, but the company would never breed another one.
Sources
This history is still being written.
Every morning the brief covers what moved veganism forward, and every day one more verified piece of that story joins this almanac. Free, and tomorrow’s lands in your inbox.
Free, every morning. No guilt. No preaching.