Seaworld profits sink despite re-branding efforts
The controversial waterparks, Seaworld, have seen a massive reduction in profits as attendance in their last quarter declines significantly.
The company - which trains dolphins and killer whales to perform tricks for audiences - has seen its reputation take a pounding in the last two years.
The parks have been embroiled in controversy ever since the 2013 killer whale documentary Blackfish purported to show instances of animal cruelty, mistreatment and attempts to cover-up of the deaths of a number of trainers.
The company’s financial report released on Thursday showed net income in the second quarter dropped from $37.4m in 2014 to $5.8m in 2015, a 84% decrease. Attendance dropped by more than 100,000 from 6.58 million to 6.48 million.
Animal rights activists claim that the animals are kept in unhealthy conditions which dramatically reduce their lifespan compared to their wild compatriots. They also claim that the parks split up social groups (which form a massive part of orca life) and that this has a huge psychological impact on the animals.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have long been critical of aquatic parks like Seaworld.
They have demanded that the animals be moved to coastal sanctuaries for eventual release into the wild.
On American Independence day this year they flew a huge banner over the Orlando park, proclaiming, “Orcas at SeaWorld Want Freedom, Too!”.
Since the documentary aired, the company has spent millions in an attempt to re-brand the parks and counter the claims that the animals are mistreated.
