SeaWorld Under Fire: Mass Animal Deaths Fuel Push To Shut down Operations

SeaWorld San Diego is embroiled in another animal controversy.

“Controversy” and “SeaWorld” often go hand in hand. With locations in San Diego, Orlando, and San Antonio, the marine park has faced intense scrutiny for years over its practice of keeping marine mammals in captivity, particularly dolphins and killer whales, drawing widespread criticism from animal rights advocates.

SeaWorld’s reputation suffered its biggest blow after the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which spotlighted the park’s treatment of orcas. The film raised serious ethical concerns about keeping such intelligent animals in captivity, spotlighting incidents of orca aggression that it claimed was linked to their living conditions – namely, Tilikum, the orca involved in the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.

In the wake of Blackfish, SeaWorld saw declines in attendance and revenue while facing increased pressure from animal rights groups to end its orca breeding program and theatrical shows. The backlash spurred protests and legal challenges and forced SeaWorld to rethink its approach.

Under growing pressure and shifting public opinion, SeaWorld announced in 2016 that it would end its orca breeding program. It’s also gradually retired its theatrical orca shows. Since then, the company has focused on introducing more thrill rides and heavily promoting its conservation and animal rehabilitation efforts, particularly with manatees in Florida and sea lions in San Diego, as part of its effort to reshape its image.

However, some criticism remains – and not always about the park’s marine residents.

Earlier this summer, SeaWorld San Diego was condemned by The San Diego Audubon Society over its repeated use of fireworks, which the group linked to a significant number of bird deaths in the area.

According to Voice of San Diego, the group urged the California Coastal Commission to revoke SeaWorld San Diego’s fireworks permit during much of the breeding season, citing a rise in bird deaths.

It claimed that numerous dead elegant terns, a near-threatened species found on the Pacific coast, were discovered at Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve just days after SeaWorld San Diego and Discover Mission Bay set off over 500 pounds of fireworks for the Fourth of July.

Now, more fuel has been added to the fire as the Mission Bay Parks Committee – an advisory group for the San Diego mayor’s office – unanimously voted earlier this week to urge the theme park to either change or cancel its fireworks displays.

They will now draft and submit a letter to city and state officials in October that will encourage SeaWorld to axe its fireworks.

At present, SeaWorld San Diego hosts its fireworks displays throughout the summer.

The Fourth of July is a big occasion for pyrotechnics, which the San Diego Audubon Society claims triggered the deaths of unborn, chick, and adult elegant terns—a breed primarily found on the Pacific coast and defined as “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature—that ultimately washed ashore at the Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve.

“It seems like the adult terns and chicks got scared off the island,” said Andrew Meyer, director of conservation for the San Diego Audubon Society. “And when chicks get scared, not being good flyers, they run in groups and probably pushed many eggs into the water.”

In July, Tracy Spahr, a spokesperson for SeaWorld San Diego, issued a statement to Voice of San Diego about the criticism. “As one of the largest animal rescue organizations in the world, SeaWorld’s mission is to help, protect, and care for animals,” Spahr wrote, insisting that the park’s fireworks displays are monitored and regulated by multiple government agencies, including the Coastal Commission.

This isn’t the only ongoing controversy for SeaWorld San Diego. In July, mother Salina Higgins claimed that her 10-year-old daughter’s ride harness “malfunctioned” while riding the park’s Electric Eel roller coaster and that her family was escorted out of the theme park after complaining.

Park officials insisted that “the ‘harness’ this family is referencing is called a ‘comfort collar,’ which is intended for the rider’s comfort and is not a restraining device.”

In January, it was revealed that SeaWorld San Diego had failed to settle a legal dispute with the City of San Diego over $12 million in unpaid rent during the pandemic. The trial reportedly won’t occur until at least 2025, although there may be further attempts to settle the dispute in the meantime.

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