Art

Authors

Books

Games

Magazines

Movies

Radio Drama

Television

Theatre

Science Faction

Computer Prime

"Stand By For Mars!"

Computer Prime

Computer Prime Marine Science Sea World Today almost everyone is familiar with Sea World, a chain of marine mammal parks throughout the United States that are especially known for shows put on by trained killer whales. SeaWorld parks exist in Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, and previously there was one in Aurora, Ohio. The face of the park is Shamu, the killer whale. SeaWorld parks also have rides such as roller coasters and other specialized rides like an amusement park. These parks are owned by the Busch Entertainment Corporation, which is the family entertainment division of the Anheuser-Busch company, which is best known for beer, but has many other areas as well. The Thunder Child Sourcebook on Marine Science Freeing Keiko SeaWorld didn�t show up overnight. The history of SeaWorld begins with four individuals: David Demont, George Millay, Ken Norris, and Milton C. Shedd. All four were graduates from UCLA, and their original plan was to build an underwater restaurant that would feature a marine life show. After some time, they decided the underwater restaurant simply wasn�t doable, so they scrapped those original plans and agreed to build an amusement park instead. With that decision, SeaWorld San Diego was created on March 21, 1964. Despite only having a few dolphins, sea lions, only six attractions and 22 acres, SeaWorld was still a massive success with over 400,000 visitors in just the first year. The four decided that after looking around the Midwest that Aurora, Ohio, would be the home of a new SeaWorld. By this time they had capture more species of marine mammals, including an Orca. The Ohio park came with strong challenges. For one, the harsh winter climate made it so the park could only be open from the middle of May until the middle of September. But since such a large part of the population, both in the East and the Midwest, were so close, the park was very successful. With how well the Ohio park was doing, they decided to open another SeaWorld in Orlando after only two more years. The company was so successful that in 1976 the four UCLA graduates sold SeaWorld to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ), a corporation that took over running SeaWorld and expanded into Texas to open another SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas. At first things look good, but the park did still have a limited operating season, and eventually the stress spending the financial resources it took to build and maintain a modern, state-of-the-art marine care facility took a toll on the company, and they had to reduce their assets to avoid bankruptcy. The Anheuser-Busch Company made an offer to purchase SeaWorld, and after a long negotiation where they had to agree to take two more parks off of HBJ�s hands, but eventually they agreed and Anheuser-Busch became the new owners. Anheuser-Busch invested millions into bringing all the parks up to snuff and expanding them to make them profitable once again. In February, 2001, Anheuser-Busch sold the Ohio park to Six Flags. The Ohio park was combined with the Six Flags to make one large mega park that has since changed names again. The rest of the SeaWorld parks are still owned by Anheuser-Busch. In many ways it seems the Ohio park more than any other has had its share of problems, including a major accident that lead to over twenty people going to the hospital in the mid 1990�s. SeaWorld�s main attractions now are the Orcas, also known as killer whales. Shamu is the icon/face of the parks, and Orcas are often the first image someone gets when thinking about SeaWorld. Shamu is not just one Orca. While Shamu was the name of the first Orca ever caught, now any Orca in a show takes Shamu as its stage name. Between the three parks, SeaWorld has over 22 Orcas. Despite the joy these parks have brought many people, and the awareness of the beautiful marine world that these parks have transmitted to people, not everything has gone smoothly. Many animal rights groups heavily protest SeaWorld, including the holding of Orcas in captivity. Often they will point to the extra aggression these animals can often show in captivity, citing an accident in August of 1989 when a dominant female attacked a new Orca during a live show. The blow severed an artery, and the young Orca died. Various SeaWorld trainers and workers have also been hurt, sometimes seriously, from working with the Orcas. In addition, SeaWorld used to obtain new animals the same way as several other parks used to. Up until 1993 they imported dolphins from Japanese dive hunts, and would capture Orcas in the 1970�s by using powerboats and airplanes. In 1995 SeaWorld decided they would no longer capture wild animals, but only keep those who were bred and born already in captivity. The history of SeaWorld is intriguing, interesting, and most of all, reflective of the American dream. Graduates who have a dream, can adjust when the original idea doesn�t come through, and then not only make their fortune, but create an awareness of the natural world that many people would otherwise never have a chance to see. Warning! Warning! Warning! Danger! You might miss intriguing updates if you do not subscribe to The Thunder Child mailing list! Warning! Warning! Warning!

Recommended Reading Learn more or Buy Now