Check out scenes from the documentary that brought down the killer whale captive breeding program at SeaWorld

“Blackfish” brought national attention to the issue

Published March 18, 2016 4:34PM (EDT)

SeaWorld in San Diego, Calif.           (AP/Seaworld San Diego)
SeaWorld in San Diego, Calif. (AP/Seaworld San Diego)

SeaWorld will end captive breeding in its San Diego, San Antonio and Orlando parks, president and CEO Joel Manby announced in a press release.

The announcement comes three years after the release of the film "Blackfish" that focuses on the captivity of an orca responsible for the deaths of three SeaWorld employees, and brought national attention to the issue.

"Society's attitude toward these very, very large, majestic animals under human care has shifted for a variety of reasons, whether it's a film, legislation, people's comments on the Internet," said Manby.

And the company's decision was a direct response to that shifting attitude, that caused SeaWorld Entertainment's profits to drop 84% in 2014.

SeaWorld will also phase out its theatrical orca shows.

Watch our video for more.


By Asha Parker

MORE FROM Asha Parker


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Killer Whales Orcas Original Video Seaworld