SeaWorld CEO, Joel Manby has announced today that the company will end its controversial orca breeding program. Given that SeaWorld does not catch wild orcas for use in its shows, this means that when the current animals in their tanks die they will not be replaced and the shows will cease. In a letter to the Los Angeles Times, Manby announced the company’s decision citing the fact that a “growing number of people don’t think orcas belong in human care”, but also says that he feels releasing the existing captive animals into the wild would probably result in their deaths. Given that orcas are long lived, this means that SeaWorld will continue to host captive orca shows (albeit in a new, “natural” format) for a long time to come.

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