(NPR) - Just days after the death of its most famous star, SeaWorld has begun the process of putting its headliner show to rest.
The theme park's San Diego location is delivering its final One Ocean show on Sunday, ending the series of orca performances that elicited outrage after the 2013 documentary Blackfish. The principal subject of that documentary, an orca named Tilikum, died Friday at the age of 36.
The filmmakers pointed to the aggressive behavior of the nearly six-ton male orca as evidence of the cruelty — and the dangers — of holding these whales in captivity.
Amid the outcry (and plunging stock value) that followed, SeaWorld promised changes to its program. In 2015, SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby announced that the signature orca performances would abandon the traditional tricks and stunts in favor of a more informative show, in a more natural setting.
Sunday's One Ocean finale in San Diego is the fruit of that promise. SeaWorld's locations in San Antonio, Texas, and Orlando, Fla., are expected to follow suit and end their versions of the popular show by 2019.
In its place, SeaWorld will be introducing Orca Encounter, a series of shows it describes as a more educational experience.
"No longer a theatrical show, this live presentation will have the feel of an engaging documentary centered on the orca's natural behaviors, physical attributes, intelligence, social structures and unique relationship with mankind," according to a statement from the park. ContinueReading
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