I am sure many of us have all grown up watching the SeaWorld orcas flip in the air and perform amazing tricks for the audience; however, after much criticism, bad press, and lives lost, the show will come to an end.  I am sure you have heard about the tragic accidents with the orcas and their trainers at SeaWorld–after all, who hasn’t?

Did you know SeaWorld was breeding these orcas? SeaWorld made an announcement they will stop breeding orcas.  They stated their current generation of orcas will be their last. They attributed this many things including lawsuits, videos of captive orcas, and the loss of corporate sponsors. So now what will SeaWorld do with their space once all the orcas are gone?

In January this year an orca died at the Orlando, Florida location.  The orca was named Kayla and was born in captivity at the San Antonio Sea World in 1998. Had she lived, she would have been in the prime of her life at 30 years old.  Kayla is the fourth orca to die at SeaWorld in over two years! Kayla was the 42nd orca to die at SeaWorld since the first was captured in 1965 and placed on display. This makes you wonder if their natural habitat was a better place for all of the orcas.  Typically orcas are very social and swim up to 100 miles per day.

Today, only 20 orcas remain at Sea World’s three amusement parks.  

How big were the orca tanks?  The tanks would range from 8 feet to 34 feet depth and are about 170 feet long. Orcas typically like to dive nearly 1,000 feet deep and travel up to 140 miles every day.  In fact, Sea World’s parking lot is bigger than the orca tank, and even a Boeing 747 plane’s wingspan is larger than the orca tank.

SeaWorld’s tentative plans for the remaining time are to show a new, inspiring natural orca encounter emphasizing orcas’ overall health while they remain alive.  But plans for after the remaining orcas pass away have not been decided.

https://www.dolphinproject.com/blog/sad-SeaWorld-loses-another-orca/

https://www.SeaWorldofhurt.com/things-bigger-than-an-orca-tank-SeaWorld/

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/SeaWorld-final-orca-show-california-killer-whales/