Finally SeaWorld, Thanks For Ending Killer Whale Breeding

Wait, did SeaWorld just become an environmental organization?

If you haven’t already heard, SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby just announced that the theme park will no longer breed orca whales in captivity, as well as cancel its theatrical orca shows due to decades of public pressure about animal welfare.

Both those decisions were expected considering the company’s recent history. But what’s more perplexing is that SeaWorld will also partner with the Human Society of the United States to fight against commercial whaling, seal hunts, shark finning and ocean pollution.

Say what?!

It’s as though the theme park that spent 52 years exploiting captive mammals for profit, arguably killing some of them, just did a 180 degree turn.

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“These decisions — and the debates that preceded them — are about more than these orcas,” writes Manby in an LA Times editorial. “Bigger questions are at stake than whether any animals anywhere should remain under human care.”

Manby doesn’t mince words. He implies that even animals in zoos and aquariums face threats to their health and well-being.

That’s right folks, SeaWorld’s CEO just proved that a company’s pursuit of profit doesn’t have to involve environmental degradation, and can in fact include environmental activism.

We commend SeaWorld for their recent move, and for heeding the words of animal welfare groups that have consistently pointed out the reduced lifespan of orcas in captivity, as well as other significant health consequences like frequent infections, high infant mortality and aggression. If it weren’t for these special-interest groups making the public aware of these issues, the heat would never have been on SeaWorld to change their ways.

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But let’s not be naive, the real motivator behind SeaWorld’s change of heart was profit. The theme park has faced declining attendance at its 11 locations across the U.S. over the past three years, and shares have dropped about 11 percent in the past year.

Since the release of a 2013 documentary Blackfish — which featured several former SeaWorld orca trainers who were concerned with the treatment and health of the animals under their care — SeaWorld’s image was destroyed. Declining profits led to the resignation of the then-CEO Jim Atchison in December 2014.

Overall, SeaWorld’s recent actions points to a large issue of the need for companies to quickly respond to social causes before it’s too late.

The theme park learned the hard way what it meant to ignore public cries for too long — and they aren’t the first company to make that mistake. Nike and Nestle are just two examples of brands that similarly faced consumer boycotts only to see profits plummet which forced a changed in company policy.

The lesson learned? Public opinion always wins. Find a way to align your company with social and environmental change before the masses make you.