SeaWorld Orlando targets students in bid to revive tarnished image

In an attempt to improve its tarnished image and falling attendances, SeaWorld Orlando is to host high school journalism students to teach them about its work.

According to local reports, students from local schools were selected last month to attend sessions in the hope that they will then help promote SeaWorld and its activities.

SeaWorld has received increased, wide-scale negative publicity since the release of the film, Blackfish, which is highly critical of SeaWorld’s captive orca shows.

WDC firmly believes that keeping whales and dolphins in captivity is cruel. There is no educational benefit in seeing intelligent creatures like orcas performing in circus style shows and very little of SeaWorld’s annual revenue goes towards conservation. Whales and dolphins live shorter lives in captivity compared with those in the wild, they can never hope to travel the 100 miles or so that they do each day in the ocean whilst held in a small tank, and they suffer stress as a result.

WDC is campaigning to stop travel companies and airlines selling trips to see shows involving whales and dolphins.