Running Head: THE SECRETS OF SEAWORLD 1
The Secrets Behind the Success of SeaWorld
Peyton Litterick
English 300
Professor Vielbig
November 26, 2019
THE SECRETS OF SEAWORLD 2
The Secrets Behind the Success of SeaWorld
SeaWorld is one of the top tourist attractions in the world, with over 4 million visitors
every year. When people enter the park, they are greeted with various signs and photos of happy
animals, living their best lives within this aquatic asylum. According to SeaWorld’s website,
signs read, “Welcome to the land of happy orcas,” and “At SeaWorld, our animals are treated to
the highest standard…” (About Us, n.d.). Spectators are under the impression that the whales held
in their captivity were wounded or rejected, and this was the reason for taking them out of their
pods at a young age. Their views are skewed, however, and the dark secrets that SeaWorld has
been hiding for years need to be revealed. Although SeaWorld markets themselves as a safe
haven for their animals, they are more concerned with the revenue that is made at the animals’
expense.
The roots of SeaWorld’s operations dates back to 1964 when the idea of an underwater
restaurant showcasing marine life would hit the streets of San Diego. The concept of an
underwater restaurant was a success and was then expanded into a 21-acre zoological marine
showcase known as SeaWorld. Founded by George Millay, Milt Shedd, Ken Norris and David
DeMott, who all shared a love for the ocean and the many creatures within it, Seaworld was
designed to bring a sense of peace to the park’s guests as they were able to have an up close and
personal experience with some of nature’s greatest beings (History, n.d.). Since this was the first
opportunity for visitors to see the large marine life without going to the ocean, SeaWorld
attracted over 400,000 people to attend their shows within the first year (About Us, n.d.). Fast
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forward to today: there are three parks in the United States which include Tampa, San Diego and
San Antonio, as well as an experiential park, Discovery Cove, where visitors are given the
opportunity to swim with the dolphins and other aquatic life. According to SeaWorld’s website,
“The parks’ up-close animal encounters, educational attractions and innovative entertainment are
designed to inspire guests of all ages to celebrate, connect with and care for the natural world
around them,” (History, n.d.). SeaWorld employees are trained to inform their audience of the
rehabilitation that their orcas go through, and assure them the whales will be released once they
are healthy. However, this isn’t reality. An interview with a former SeaWorld trainer reveals
details about the capturing process. He stated, “The whales are taken out of their pods at random
within the first two years of their lives. They are not taken because they are sick or rejected, they
are captured because the little ones are the most prospective,” (Schelling, 2016, para 3). These
events put the orcas in a state of distress, making the transition from ocean to tank extremely
hard.
When comparing the treatment of aquatic life globally, a study was done that compares
the interactions between capturing aquatic life in America and the process across the seas. It was
noted in a scholarly article about the treatment of orcas that Americans are very rough with the
animals they take out of their homes, having little empathy for the struggle. However, across the
seas, Brazil uses other tactics to ensure their animals do not stress out and die. After the capture,
vertical lines are painted on the inside of the tank walls to help fish become comfortable to
captive conditions and to reduce the risk of an accident occurring with the fish and the tank
walls. (Clements, Valentin, Jenkins, Rankin, Baker, Gee, Snellgrove & Sloman 2019, p. 3). The
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transition from ocean to tank at such a young age is very traumatizing, and animal welfare
should always be a top priority to a facility that hosts animals. A new trainer or handler may
behave unpredictably towards the animal, triggering it to become stressed during the interaction.
Along with the fear and confusion of the orcas, anger being added to the pool of emotions as
well causes them to act out. Marine biologists that have studied SeaWorld and their
animals and have repeatedly said that you cannot mimic the ocean in a small tank. The cramped
space and territorial whales are a huge reason so many orcas are hurt and act out. The living
conditions of these orcas is confined to a 200-foot-long, 35-feet-deep pool. This species can
swim up to 100 miles in a day, and due to their small environment, they can not swim more than
a few feet without hitting a wall (Hesselager & Barry, 2015, para 3). This factor was a key
