SeaWorld showed in a report released Thursday that it is going through a downward spiral in profits as it continues to reel from "continued brand challenges," according to The Guardian.
Attendance, sales and profits all continue to decline for the amusement park giant, despite a recent $10 million positive marketing campaign. Customers have deserted this once well-loved theme park that uses sea lions, dolphins and killer whales kept in captivity to perform tricks to the amusement of its customers. After the 2013 documentary "Blackfish" showed the park in a different light, with abusive claims that the orcas were mistreated, SeaWorld has had an uphill battle that it is just not winning.
SeaWorld saw a plummet in attendance following the release of the documentary. It lost more than half of its Wall Street market value and the CEO was forced to resign. Last year alone, attendance was down 100,000 people.
The documentary details the orcas mistreatment that led to their violent behavior contributing to three deaths so far. The claims also state that the orcas' living conditions have traumatized them into their recent violent trends, including killing one of their trainers, according to Attractions Management. These claims have caused People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to refer to SeaWorld as "The Abusement Park," not the family friendly moniker amusement park.
Consumers are fed up with supporting these venues and contributing to the exploitation of animal-related theme parks such as SeaWorld. Now that they are more socially conscious, they no longer wish to see orcas separated from their families, forced to live in small cramped tanks and left to go insane, according to Collective Evolution.
Free range orcas, despite their hunting of other animals, have never been reported killing a human being, according to educational material from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about captive ones.
