Embattled SeaWorld to overhaul orca show in San Diego

Facing declining attendance and harsh criticism from animal rights groups, SeaWorld said it will overhaul its controversial killer whale show in San Diego to puts less emphasis on tricks and more on conservation efforts.

The plan to launch a new show is part of the Orlando, Florida, company’s broader efforts to highlight the company’s work saving animals in the wild – a campaign intended to fend off criticism about how the parks treat animals and to boost sluggish revenue numbers.

SeaWorld Entertainment Chief Executive Joel Manby, who took over his post in March, also hinted that the company will shelve plans to spend $100 million for a larger enclosure for the 11 whales in SeaWorld San Diego.

Instead, Manby said, the company will spend one-third to one-half of that money on a new attraction that won’t involve killer whales. He declined to offer details but noted that a new roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando is expected to draw big crowds when it opens next year.

During an investor presentation in Orlando, Manby refused to give specifics about the new orca show in San Diego, except to say that the show won’t focus on “tricks” taught to the whales but will instead show what the giant mammals naturally do in the wild, including jumping and splashing.

He said the company’s new direction is not in response to criticism from animal rights groups but from requests from guests.

“We don’t do anything in San Diego in response to activists,” he said. “We do it because we have heard from our guests.”

The plan to change the San Diego whale show didn’t appease critics, who have called on the park to release its whales to ocean sanctuaries.

“This move is like no longer whipping lions in a circus act but keeping them locked inside cages for life,” said Jared Goodman, director of animal law for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a vocal critic of SeaWorld.

The show’s planned overhaul also did little to placate U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who last week said he would introduce legislation that would ban breeding whales in captivity.

“The fact still remains that as long as SeaWorld holds orcas in captivity, the physical and psychological problems associated with their captivity will persist,” Schiff said in a statement.

Manby didn’t say if the company would make any changes to the whale shows at its parks in Orlando and San Antonio.

Some visitors to SeaWorld San Diego said they would be upset if the park eliminated all orca shows. But a toned-down show might be met with less resistance.

Christine Saponara, 35, a city planner from Los Angeles, arrived at SeaWorld late Monday morning and expressed relief that SeaWorld was backing away from its traditional orca shows, adding that there are too many signs that killer whales are both highly intelligent and are suffering in captivity. She held out hope that SeaWorld would come up with a way to show orcas in a more natural environment.

“It’s a good thing,” she said. “Maybe we can see things in a more natural way.”

SeaWorld’s announcement comes about a month after the California Coastal Commission approved SeaWorld’s plan to expand the whale enclosure. The state agency added the condition that the park must end its killer whale breeding program and halt the transfer of new whales to the park. The conditions would eventually put an end to the park’s most popular attraction.

SeaWorld said it plans to challenge the commission’s decision in court. The company has retained lawyers for the challenge but has yet to file a lawsuit.

As part of the effort to boost revenue, SeaWorld Entertainment announced a new partnership with San Diego-based Evans Hotel Group to look into plans to build a resort hotel on property adjacent to the San Diego park.

The company continues to struggle in the wake of the 2013 documentary “Blackfish,” which accused SeaWorld of abusing and neglecting its killer whales. Attendance has dropped over the last year, but the rate of decline has slowed.

In 2014, attendance dropped by 4 percent, according to the company. In the quarter that ended Sept. 30, attendance dropped by 0.4 percent.

Manby said SeaWorld will continue to push its multimedia campaign of ads and television commercials to respond to criticism about the treatment of its whales. He said guest research shows the campaign has shown progress at getting positive response from potential guests.