Orca displays: A whale of a response
- Published
SeaWorld parks have long been criticised by animal rights activists and some politicians
SeaWorld in California is planning to phase out some of its more controversial killer whale shows.
BBC News website readers and people posting on social media sites have been discussing the announcement that 2017 will be the last year of the show in San Diego.
The overwhelming majority of comments are in favour of ending these aquatic displays.
However Lorna who emailed the BBC shared a different perspective. "I have been to Florida six times. I do not think these animals are mistreated in any way nor do I think they are in pain, they seem to enjoy themselves. What about those countries of the world who hunt whales, and wipe out their natural existence in the wild? The 'do gooders' of the world should divert their efforts to an animal cause that really needs them."
But the majority of responses were overwhelmingly against aquatic shows in which killer whales are trained to perform on command.
But shows, like the one pictured above, have been performed by the animals for decades and continue to be a popular tourist attraction, as David Arnold tweets below:
