While SeaWorld may have been a vacation destination for many families in the past, they have also been the source of a large amount of controversy over the past decade.
Not only have there been numerous safety violations involving their killer whales, but the aquatic theme park has faced a lot of backlash in the news for keeping these large wild animals in captivity.
In 2013, the documentary Blackfish exposed the great dangers of keeping killer whales in tanks, like those at SeaWorld. Since then, the company has faced a huge decline in business, with animal lovers no longer excited to see these aquatic mammals suffering in an unnatural habitat.
But, finally, all of that is about to come to an end.
SeaWord officially announced that it would be putting an end to their practice of breeding orcas. And since the company no longer collects whales from the wild, this marks the inevitable end of SeaWorld keeping killer whales in captivity.
Scroll through below for a look at this monumental announcement.
After being at odds with SeaWorld for years, the Humane Society of the United States issued a press release praising the company's incredible announcement.
They write, "In a dramatic shift that signals an eventual end to the practice of keeping captive orcas for public exhibition, SeaWorld announced it would cease all of its orca breeding programs for the company's nearly 30 whales."
But the most important point? The Humane Society writes, "This action will make the current group the last generation of SeaWorld's orcas."
This marks a large change in company policy from SeaWorld's past.
While they stopped capturing orcas from the wild 40 years ago, they have continued breeding orcas until now.
In fact, 23 of their current orcas were born in SeaWorld-owned facilities.
The Humane Society has been negotiating this policy shift with SeaWorld for quite some time.
In addition to the end of orca breeding, as the Humane Society writes, "The company also announced, after negotiations with the HSUS, that it would phase out its theatrical orca shows in favor of orca exhibits that highlight the whales' natural behaviors."
SeaWorld will also "have no orcas at all in any new parks around the world — the remaining orcas will be the last generation housed at SeaWorld."
This announcement by SeaWorld is a huge victory for animal rights organizations and animal lovers around the world. And, of course, it is a huge victory for the orcas themselves, who have been forced to live as "circus animals" for decades.
SeaWorld's evolution on the issue should certainly be praised. The company writes: "SeaWorld has been listening and we're changing. Society is changing and we're changing with it.
"SeaWorld is finding new ways to continue to deliver on our purpose to inspire all of our guests to take action to protect wild animals and wild places."
Because they have lived in captivity for so long, the current SeaWorld orcas would not be able to survive in the wild, making it impossible for them to be released.
However, as SeaWorld writes, "they will live long and healthy lives under love and care of our dedicated veterinary and other trained specialists where they can inspire this and future generations."
What do you think of this stunning announcement by SeaWorld? Let us know in the comments.
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