SeaWorld to End Controversial Orca Shows and Breeding

The entertainment company has yielded to intense pressure from animal activists.

As Tilikum lies dying in a tank in Orlando, SeaWorld made a major announcement Thursday: After several years of pressure from activists and the public, the company will end its orca breeding and theatrical shows programs.

The company had already announced plans to end its controversial whale shows in San Diego in November 2015, in response to scrutiny from the state of California, and now SeaWorld is going a step further by phasing out its theatrical orca shows at all locations, including in Florida and Texas.

SeaWorld will replace its shows—which have been seen by 400 million people—with "new, inspiring, natural orca encounters" emphasizing "orca enrichment, exercise and overall health" while its remaining whales remain alive.  

The company hasn't added a captured whale for years but

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