Skip to content
All news
  • All news
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Corporates
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
  • Stranding
  • Whale watching

Dominica announces new protections for sperm whales

Dominica has placed almost 800 square kilometers of sea off the west coast of the...
Commerson's dolphin

New Important Marine Mammal Areas added to global ocean conservation list

Commerson's dolphin Experts from a number of countries have mapped out a new set of...
Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may...

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.