One of the world’s most popular attractions, SeaWorld, has seen a decline in attendance after the 2013 Blackfish documentary. The park operators are struggling to restore its image in the middle of a public campaign by animal activists.
The documentary film Blackfish showed the treatment of captive orcas which provokes violent behavior. After the documentary, SeaWorld has been pressured to release the killer whales into the wild.
The company, based in Orlando, Florida, fell well short of profit and revenue expectations for the second quarter. Shares have slumped by over 37 percent over the past year.
The company has launched a marketing campaign in response to show that the orcas are being cared for and live the same way they live in the wild. They also have introduced heavy discounts to lure new customers and regain its reputation.
“We realize we have much work ahead of us to recover more of our attendance base, increase revenue and improve our performance as returning to historical performance levels will take time and investment,” SeaWorld President and CEO Joel Manby said in a statement.
Image: Via SeaWorld Parks
