Big news came out of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Inc. last week. The company announced it will stop breeding captive killer whales.
In a statement released on Thursday, SeaWorld Entertainment said that the current generation of orcas in its care would not be replaced. Instead it will replace its popular theatrical shows with “new, inspiring, natural orca encounters…as part of its ongoing commitment to education, marine science research, and rescue of marine animals.”
The company hasn’t captured a whale in decades but has been breeding them in captivity.
Theatrical orca shows will end at SeaWorld San Diego in 2017 and in Orlando and San Antonio in 2019. 
"SeaWorld has introduced more than 400 million guests to orcas, and we are proud of our part in contributing to the human understanding of these animals," Joel Manby, President and Chief Executive Officer of SeaWorld Entertainment, said in a statement. "As society's understanding of orcas continues to change, SeaWorld is changing with it."
Manby went on to add that their focus will continue to be on rescue and rehabilitation saying, "As one of the largest rescue organizations in the world, we will increase our focus on rescue operations — so that the thousands of stranded marine mammals like dolphins and sea lions that cannot be released back to the wild will have a place to go."
The company has 29 orcas: 11 in San Diego; seven in Orlando; five in San Antonio and six in Loro Parque. It does not plan to release the killer whales into the ocean, arguing they would not be able to survive in the wild.
Stay tuned for more details on this story. In the meantime you can catch a Christian-music concert at SeaWorld Orlando during Praise Wave with discounted tickets right here on Best of Orlando.
Orlando, FL – 3/21/16 By: Jena Pugh | 
