Under pressure SeaWorld to expand orca habitats
by Tom Anstey | 19 Aug 2014
SeaWorld says the work will cost 'several hundred million dollars' / Shutterstock.com / David Pruter
As a reaction to lagging attendance, tumbling shares and a backlash of negative publicity in the wake of the controversial documentary Blackfish, Seaworld has announced multi-million dollar expansion plans for its habitats housing killer whales.
The park’s significant drop in share value last week has seemingly been the final straw for the operator, which has been increasingly a target for animal rights activists following the release of a 2013 documentary recounting the violent behaviour of an orca “driven to madness” in captivity, leading to the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
The orca tanks will be upgraded at three SeaWorld theme parks, starting in San Diego, with the new enclosures almost doubling in size from the existing 5 million gallon (19 million litre) tank, increasing in depth by an additional 50ft (15.2m).
SeaWorld would not reveal exact expansion costs, but did say the work would cost “several hundred million dollars”. The company has also pledged a further US$10m (€7.5m, £6m) in matching funds for research into killer whales.
Construction will begin at SeaWorld San Diego in 2015, with a completion date of 2018 and similar upgrades to follow at parks in Orlando, Florida and San Antonio, Texas.
The San Diego facility will include an innovative new “water treadmill” – a system which allows the whales to swim against a current, allowing more exercise while opening the door for research into how they burn energy.
In a statement, animal rights group PETA dismissed the plans commenting: “A bigger prison is still a prison”, while SeaWorld CEO Jim Atchison rebuffed the comments, stating: “Unfortunately there are some people who want nothing more than to see the end to the relationship between humans and animals, and that would be a sad outcome."
15 Aug 2014
SeaWorld shares plummet in wake of Blackfish documentary
23 May 2014
SeaWorld takes another hit as STA removes it from its travel database
11 Mar 2014
Proposed legislation would ban Orca shows in California
25 Feb 2010
SeaWorld trainer dies after killer whale attack
As a reaction to lagging attendance, tumbling shares and a backlash of negative publicity in the wake of the controversial documentary Blackfish, Seaworld has announced multi-million dollar expansion plans for its habitats housing killer whales. The park’s significant drop in share value last week has seemingly been the final straw for the operator, which has been increasingly a target for animal rights activists following the release of a 2013 documentary
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