Sea World Profits Soar by 300%

[mrsklamc]

It a start. It is 1.2 million more people that are now maybe a bit more educated then this time last year before Blackfish was released.

Plus they would tell other people to watch it or at least offer an opinion on it.

I was responding to a specific person who said they bet SeaWorld doesn't have a big 2014 because of the movie.

 

[VikingInMouseEars]

Well, I think we'll probably drive over to SeaWorld this weekend or next to use our annual passes...my favorite band (Barenaked Ladies) DID cancel their concert. Obviously that didn't make me cancel my next trip to SeaWorld, but it DOES make me much less likely to buy their next album. Caving to a change.org petition driven by what I see as a one-sided "documentary" makes me think much less of them personally. I think that SeaWorld will actually see a boost in attendance...what do they say, any publicity is good publicity?

I totally agree. Seaworld does loads of good in the conservation world (manatees, sea turtles, oil spill victims, etc., etc. I will continue to spend a portion of my vacation dollar with them and will be much less likely to spend my entertainment dollar on entertainers who jump on bandwagons being pulled by the naive and misinformed. One of the performers who cancelled admitted that she hadn't even seen Blackfish, but had heard it was causing a "fuss". Personally I agree with a moritorium on new captures and the Orca breeding program and any already in captivity need to be tanks that are big enough even if they need to be removed from some locations. But I also believe that places like Seaworld do the absolute best they can with the animals in their care and I have no problem at all with Seaworld using those animals to help raise money for the other conservation and rescue efforts they are involved in.

 

[Kpskyman]

Blackfish is not the first anti propaganda on SeaWorld people. PETA ha been around for a long time and have many videos on YouTube that are against the park. There are documentaries about dolphin capturing, orca capturing, whaling in general, all that mention SeaWorld. It is propaganda by PETA. If you agree with PETA, then fine, but don't be a hypocrite, they are against eating meat, and fish. They are against leather and fur. They are against circuses, zoos, petting zoos. They have even taken away live manger scenes, and reindeer pens during the holiday season. If you agree with all this, then by all means, stay away from SeaWorld, which you probably have your whole life, if you don't agree, then quit trying to make people feel guilty by enjoying a fine amusement park that spends more money on animal conservation then any other company in the US

 

[Tink575]

We went to SeaWorld yesterday and it was jam packed. Much more crowded than our visit last year for the holidays, shows were filling up way ahead of time. The only damper on the evening was the drizzle. We got cold and left the park earlier than we intended.

 

[julieannboo]

Someone posted this on twitter - i dont know when this guy actually sold his shares though:

SeaWorld director David D’Alessandro sold $1.3 million of his own co stocks.

 

[julieannboo]

What did he start? SeaWorld isn't going to get rid of their biggest draw because 7 musical acts cancelled on them. They might come out and address this more directly, but they aren't going to be rehoming the orcas IMHO. Seriously, what exactly would that accomplish for them? Some percentage of people would be happy, but their attendance would drop like crazy because people go to SeaWorld to see Shamu.

If this drop in attendance happens, the $$ for conservation in coastal areas including the one where I reside disappears FWC won't be able to regularly call in SeaWorld to rescue and rehabilitate the orphaned manatee calves, stranded dophins, sea turtles suffering from cold shock, etc. if Sea World attendance drops to the point where there is no longer money for conservation. The perverse effect of this is that other marine life then suffers

I don't see the SeaWorld orcas going to sea pens. Lolita is another story. They need to figure something out to help her. Also, I really wish that Russia would not allow NEW Orcas to be captured, and I think that the breeding programs should be put on hold indefinitely unless the orcas become endangered. Also, I don't get the weird interbreeding in captivity that would not occur in the wild. I think that should they become endangered, breeding along the lines of what would happen in nature would be better.

Tilikum started all of this when he killed a third person: Dawn Brancheau.

If he hadnt of done this that Blackfish wouldnt have made been made.

Russia kill gay people so we can all forget about trying to get those killer whales released :-(

 

[julieannboo]

I totally agree. Seaworld does loads of good in the conservation world (manatees, sea turtles, oil spill victims, etc., etc. I will continue to spend a portion of my vacation dollar with them and will be much less likely to spend my entertainment dollar on entertainers who jump on bandwagons being pulled by the naive and misinformed. One of the performers who cancelled admitted that she hadn't even seen Blackfish, but had heard it was causing a "fuss". Personally I agree with a moritorium on new captures and the Orca breeding program and any already in captivity need to be tanks that are big enough even if they need to be removed from some locations. But I also believe that places like Seaworld do the absolute best they can with the animals in their care and I have no problem at all with Seaworld using those animals to help raise money for the other conservation and rescue efforts they are involved in.

Seaworld probably does do some good but keeping orcas and dolphins isnt one of them.

Morgan who was 'rescued' 3 years ago off of the netherlands was transferred to Loro Parque in Tenerife.

after she got better she was promised that she wouldnt be put on diplay - yet three years later she is still in that tank being harrassed by another male orca.

this park is Seaworld owned so dont tell me that do 100% good because they dont. How do we know that Seaworld dont want to start breeding from her so they have got a fresh blood line?

She could be seapenned tomorrow - she hasnt been in captivity that long.

Her case goes back to court in January.

 

[julieannboo]

I was responding to a specific person who said they bet SeaWorld doesn't have a big 2014 because of the movie.

they probably still will have a big attendence next year and the year after that and the year after that but what Blackfish has done is made a start of educating people about keeping killer whales in captivity.

Seaworld could carry on down the theme park route and still be $$$$ in.

 

[julieannboo]

Blackfish is not the first anti propaganda on SeaWorld people. PETA ha been around for a long time and have many videos on YouTube that are against the park. There are documentaries about dolphin capturing, orca capturing, whaling in general, all that mention SeaWorld. It is propaganda by PETA. If you agree with PETA, then fine, but don't be a hypocrite, they are against eating meat, and fish. They are against leather and fur. They are against circuses, zoos, petting zoos. They have even taken away live manger scenes, and reindeer pens during the holiday season. If you agree with all this, then by all means, stay away from SeaWorld, which you probably have your whole life, if you don't agree, then quit trying to make people feel guilty by enjoying a fine amusement park that spends more money on animal conservation then any other company in the US

any extreme opinion isnt good.

PETA ruin it for everyone else and possibly even the animals.

i am not an animal activist - it only when you see the size of a killer whale in a tank and you know deep down where the whale has come from and how it came to be there and you see that its food supply is messed with so it will perform for a crowd then you realise something isnt right.

 

[julieannboo]

Edgar Winter & Darren Hayes (Savage Garden) would their music pulled from SeaWorld also.

 

[julieannboo]

.38 was the 8th band to cancel last night.

there only two acts left.

it all a waste of time why dont Seaworld just cancel the whole thing now and save themselves and everyone the hassle.

 

[Rumors Rocks]

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/OurCare/Home/Letter?from=Front_Page_Bottom_Promo

SeaWorld: The Truth Is in Our Parks and People

An Open Letter from SeaWorld’s Animal Advocates

Inaccurate reports recently have generated questions about SeaWorld and the animals in our care. The truth is in our parks and people, and it’s time to set the record straight.

The men and women of SeaWorld are true animal advocates. We are the 1,500 scientists, researchers, veterinarians, trainers, marine biologists, aquarists, aviculturists, educators and conservationists who have dedicated our lives to the animals in our care as well as those in the wild that are injured, ill or orphaned. Whether it’s a sea lion, manatee, sea turtle or whale, we are on call 24/7.

Here are some important facts about SeaWorld and our work:

SeaWorld does not capture killer whales in the wild. Due to the groundbreaking success of our research in marine mammal reproduction, we haven’t collected a killer whale from the wild in 35 years. In fact, only two of the whales in our care were collected by SeaWorld and they continue to be in our care today. In addition, our research has led to a much greater understanding of whales in the wild, giving researchers important scientific insights surrounding marine mammal reproduction.

We do not separate killer whale moms and calves. SeaWorld recognizes the important bond between mother and calf. On the rare occasion that a mother killer whale cannot care for the calf herself, we have successfully hand raised and reintroduced the calf. Whales are only moved to maintain a healthy social structure.

SeaWorld invests millions of dollars in the care of our killer whales. In the last three years alone, we have invested $70 million in our killer whale habitats and millions of dollars annually in support of these facilities. Our habitats are among the largest in the world today. They are state-of-the-art, multimillion-gallon environments of cooled and filtered water that allow for the highest and safest standards of care. We give our animals restaurant-quality fish, exercise, veterinary care, mental stimulation, and the company of other members of their species.

SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild. While studies continue to define the average life span of killer whales in the wild, the most recent science suggests that our killer whales’ life spans are comparable — indeed, five of our animals are older than 30, and one of our whales is close to 50.

The killer whales in our care benefit those in the wild. We work with universities, governmental agencies and NGOs to increase the body of knowledge about and the understanding of killer whales — from their anatomy and reproductive biology to their auditory abilities. Some populations of wild killer whales have been classified as endangered or threatened, demonstrating the potential critical nature of these research opportunities. This type of controlled research and study is simply not possible in the wild, and has significant real-world benefits to the killer whales that live there.

SeaWorld is a world leader in animal rescue. The millions of people who visit our parks each year make possible SeaWorld’s world-renowned work in rescue, rehabilitation and release. We are constantly innovating when it comes to this care: Our veterinarians have created nursing bottles to hand-feed orphaned whales, prosthetics to save sea turtles, and a wetsuit to help injured manatees stay afloat during rehabilitation. Whether it’s the result of natural or man-made disasters, SeaWorld is always on call and often the first to be contacted. We have rescued more than 23,000 animals with the goal of treating and returning them to the wild.

Naturalist Baba Dioum put it best when he said, “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we have been taught.”

At SeaWorld, this has been our calling since we first opened our doors 50 years ago. It is a responsibility we do not take lightly. More than 400 million guests have visited SeaWorld. We are proud that their experiences here have a lasting and positive impact on them, and on the world in which we live.
The truth about SeaWorld is right here in our parks and people. Our guests may enter our gates having never given much thought to the remarkable animals in our oceans. When they leave with a greater appreciation for the importance of the sea, educated about the animals that live there and inspired to make a difference, we have done our job.

 

[julieannboo]

The reply from the makers of the cove:

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I'm not sure where they got their info from, but I've never seen Sea World more crowded than in the last few months...I don't see "failing attendance rates" in Orlando anyways.

Interesting that they are using Groupon...I highly doubt that it has any direct correlation to Blackfish unless they are anticipating some very delayed backlash that ultimately results in emptier parks.

 

[livndisney]

I'm not sure where they got their info from, but I've never seen Sea World more crowded than in the last few months...I don't see "failing attendance rates" in Orlando anyways.

Interesting that they are using Groupon...I highly doubt that it has any direct correlation to Blackfish unless they are anticipating some very delayed backlash that ultimately results in emptier parks.

Driving by Sea World during their recent "protest"..... there were more people waiting to get into Sea World than protesters. The "protest" barely lasted an hour. The letter posted sounds more like yet another attempt by so called "activists" to make a name for themselves. Clearly Sea World is not experiencing "falling" attendance.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Driving by Sea World during their recent "protest"..... there were more people waiting to get into Sea World than protesters. The "protest" barely lasted an hour. The letter posted sounds more like yet another attempt by so called "activists" to make a name for themselves. Clearly Sea World is not experiencing "falling" attendance.

Exactly. The protests are unimpressive at best.

We are still headed to Sea World for summer camp as always. We usually head out there on weekends at this time of year too, but with the crowds there lately we haven't been as much. Failing attendance? Not so much

Gotta thank the big baddies at Sea World for coming to the rescue of a juvenile loggerhead that some friends found in the river here on NYE. Sea World had the turtle within hours and has apparently given a decent prognosis on his survival changes One of my favorite parts about the camp is that my kids get the opportunity to see parts of the behind-the-scenes animal rehab areas

I love how that activist letter says that Sea World mainly rehabs animals that can't be used in it's shows. That is bad because??? They rehab and release a lot of marine animals where I live. We are thankful.

 

[julieannbabe]

SeaWorld is busted for padding #Blackfish poll in the Orlando Business Journal.

"imagine our surprise when we noticed that one single IP Address accounted for more than 54 percent of the votes... and who's the owner of the domain name and company that address belong to? SeaWorld.com and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment." ~ Richard Bilbao, Orlando Business Journal

Why would Seaworld have to vote to many times that it made up of 54% of the votes?

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/01/somethings-fishy-with-this.html

 

[surferdave]

SeaWorld is busted for padding #Blackfish poll in the Orlando Business Journal.

"imagine our surprise when we noticed that one single IP Address accounted for more than 54 percent of the votes... and who's the owner of the domain name and company that address belong to? SeaWorld.com and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment." ~ Richard Bilbao, Orlando Business Journal

Why would Seaworld have to vote to many times that it made up of 54% of the votes?

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/01/somethings-fishy-with-this.html

There's nothing for the newspaper to brag about there. Basically all it means is that out of the tiny handful of people who cared enough to respond to their poll, half work for Sea World and don't feel any differently than the others.

 

[Kpskyman]

The groupon savings is do to the fact that they will be doing a major remodel of Shamu Stadium and the Orca tanks, thus eliminating Shamu shows for a couple months. Rather then just lower admission prices as their top draw will not be available, they are offering coupons.

 

[julieannbabe]

The footage of the baby orca at seaworld having a seizure due to imbreeding was removed from youtube but can be watched here - it is the first video.

http://www.seaworldofhurt.com/5-videos-seaworld-doesnt-want-you-to-see.aspx