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© Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919. Funded by United States Army Corps of Engineers

Birth announcement! First right whale calf of the 2024 calving season spotted

November 29, 2023 - On November 28th, researchers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute...
© Peter Flood

Two New England-based nonprofits awarded nearly $400k federal grant

© Peter Flood November 20, 2023 - Contact: Jake O'Neill, Conservation Law Foundation, (617) 850-1709,...
Right whale - Regina WDC

North Atlantic right whale population has stabilized

WDC attends Ropeless Consortium and North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium WDC was in Canada this...
Moana, Marineland France

Orca Moana dies suddenly at Marineland

Twelve-year old orca, Moana has died suddenly at the Marineland Antibes theme park facility in...

SeaWorld launches ‘educational’ dolphin shows

Twenty four hours after the final ‘old style’ Blue Horizons captive dolphin show finished at SeaWorld Orlando, the company’s new ‘more educational’ Dolphin Days show has begun.  But SeaWorld’s attempt to align its brand with the growing public uneasiness with whale and dolphin captivity has left many questioning how different the shows are in reality.

The new Dolphin Days show does not feature many of the circus-style elements of the old show, which included acrobats and divers in costumes.  Trainers now introduce each dolphin by name and give the audience facts about the species.  However, the stage setting had changed little from the old Blue Horizons show, interactions with birds continue and the trainers still ride around on the noses of dolphins – not exactly educational or something seen in the wild.  Ultimately, the dolphins remain in small tanks performing flips in the air to a soundtrack played in the background.

In January, SeaWorld San Diego changed its orca show to a more ‘educational’ version similar to the new dolphin show. A completely reworked orca encounter experience will be launched in San Diego this summer. Attendance at the parks continues to plummet, forcing SeaWorld to drop ticket prices.

Read more about the cruelty of captivity and how WDC is fighting to end it.