SeaWorld San Diego hosts last orca show
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SeaWorld San Diego will host its last orca show today (Sunday 8 January 2017), following last year’s surprise commitment to phase out its killer whale programme.
The final San Diego show will come just two days after the death of Tilikum, the orca that killed its trainer at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010.
Following a barrage of criticism, including the documentary movie Blackfish, SeaWorld announced in 2016 that it would bring to an end its orca breeding programme and replace its theatrical shows with “natural orca encounters”.
The final ‘One Ocean’ show on Sunday marks the end of a series of popular performances held at SeaWorld San Diego since the 1960s.
The new programmes will focus on “orca enrichment, exercise and overall health”, SeaWorld said. This change will start in its San Diego park, before moving on to San Antonio and Orlando by 2019.
SeaWorld recently announced plans for its first location in the Middle East, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, which it said would be a “dedicated marine life research, rescue, rehabilitation and return centre”, rather than a simple tourist attraction.
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