A lawsuit was filed against SeaWorld claiming that, they mislead the customer about the harmful treatment towards Orca whales. It was also claimed that the ticket cost should be refunded.
It was reported that a Californian women filed the complaint against the resort. In the complaint she stated that if she knew that SeaWorld was treating Orca whales with powerful drugs, forced them to breed and live in cramped quarters, she would never have taken her family there. The lawsuit also claimed that, all tickets should be refunded during the preceding 4 years, as people were misled by SeaWorld. This lawsuit came after a documentary known as ‘Blackfish’ exposed the poor treatment meted out to Ocra Whales by the-then SeaWorld Ocra trainer John Hagrove. In his own biography, ‘Beneath the surface: Killer Whales, Sea World and the truth beyond Blackfish’, Hagrove also exposed the mistreatment.
In a statement SeaWorld said, the lawsuit is nothing more than, “A publicity stunt intended to generate more news coverage of John Hargrove’s anti-SeaWorld book, no higher priority for SeaWorld than the health and well-being of its animals.”
A recent survey suggested that, the American families are divided on the issue. After the documentary was released, some families decided to stay away from SeaWorld, as they said, they are overwhelmed by the human treatment on captive animals. But some Americans believe that SeaWorld`s events like ‘Backstage tour’ helped their children and them to learn more about these animals. In a statement SeaWorld said, they are building larger enclosures for Orcas. It was also reported that, SeaWorld`s revenue dropped 3 percent this year in comparison to last year. It was also confirmed that, their Chief Executive Officer, Jim Atchison quit in 2014 after the documentary was aired.
In answer to the latest criticisms, SeaWorld started an advertisement campaign called ‘Ask SeaWorld’, which had also drawn a lot of criticism from animal right activists. The TV and print media campaign began on 23 March. It asked general people to ask about the company’s treatment of animals via Twitter. The advertisement also contained filmed interviews from the former trainers and veterinarians.