Features
SeaWorld Responds To ‘Blackfish’ Backlash
Responding to a raft of concert cancellations and protest, SeaWorld has set up a website and run ads in major newspapers in defense of its treatment of captive killer whales.
The lousy press came in the form of a documentary, “Blackfish,” that recently aired on CNN.
Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, 38 Special, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, Heart, and Barenaked Ladies all canceled appearances at the Orlando, Fla., marine park’s “Bands, Brew and BBQ” concert series following the “Blackfish” release in November.
SeaWorld posted the ad Dec. 20 in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, and local papers in cities with SeaWorld parks.
Photo: AP Photo / Phelan M. Ebenhack, File
SeaWorld Orlando trainers and a killer whale in 2011.
Both the ad and website, SeaWorldCares.com, describe SeaWorld as an advocate for animals and detail its efforts to rescue and care for marine animals.