This Day in History: March 17, 2016: SeaWorld ends killer whale breeding program
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - On March 17, 2016, SeaWorld Entertainment officials announced they would stop breeding killer whales and end performances featuring the animals.
The decision came after the 2013 release of the documentary “Blackfish,” which was highly critical of the park’s orca program. Attendance at SeaWorld declined significantly following the film’s release.
Killer whales became a main attraction at SeaWorld San Diego in 1965, when the first Shamu was captured in the Puget Sound and purchased by the park. Twenty years later, the first baby orca was born in captivity.
Public opinion of the park began declining in 2010 after an orca named Tilikum killed his trainer at the Orlando park in front of the show’s audience.
When SeaWorld staff made their announcement in 2016, 29 killer whales lived at the parks. That number is believed to have dropped to 16.
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