Beach & Bay Press, March 24th, 2016

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BUCS LACROSSE Mission Bay’s Shelby Moore sprints upfield during the Bucs’ match against La Jolla last week. Mission Bay is in the nascent stages of building strong boys and girls lacrosse programs. SEE PAGE 5

SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER GROUP

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

BEACHANDBAYPRESS.COM

SeaWorld ends orca breeding and shows

So long, Shamu

An orca performs at SeaWorld San Diego. The orca shows will end at the San Diego park in 2017, while the San Antonio and Orlando parks will end the shows by 2019.

What SeaWorld’s shift means for its San Diego park By LISA HALVERSTAD, Voice of San Diego SeaWorld, a company that’s been floundering since the controversial documentary “Blackfish,” is making a sea change. SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby announced March 17 that the company will halt killer whale breeding, end its theatrical orca shows and dou-

ble down on conservation and rescue efforts. And it’s partnering with a longtime adversary, the Humane Society, to do it. All signal a massive shift for one of San Diego’s top employers and taxpayers. The company that’s long been synonymous with Shamu will eventually be without its headline attraction.

“This decision today is so monumental for us,” Manby said in a call with reporters March 17. “A lot of people don’t realize how difficult it is, even internally it is, for us to make this change.” Indeed, the company contested the state Coastal Commission’s demand last year that it halt orca breeding in SEE SEAWORLD, Page 2

‘The fact that SeaWorld is doing away with orca breeding marks truly meaningful change.’ GABRIELA COWPERTHWAITE DIRECTOR OF ‘BLACKFISH’

PHOTO BY ANTOINE TAVENEAUX/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Orca breeding ceases immediately, shows in San Diego to end in 2017 SeaWorld will turn its attention to "new, inspiring, natural orca encounters" emphasizing enrichment, exercise and health while its killer whales are alive, SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby said on a conference call. The orca shows will end at its San Diego park in 2017, while the San Antonio and Orlando parks will end the shows by 2019. SEE ORCAS, Page 4


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