SeaWorld said Monday it will cancel its trained killer whale performances at its San Diego park.
The entertainment company will launch “an all new orca experience” in 2017, and says it will focus more on the natural environment and behavior of killer whales.
The SeaWorld orca show has been both controversial and less popular in the last couple of years.
A CNN documentary called “Blackfish” caused protests and criticism over the park’s treatment of whales, and regulators have refused to approve a $100 million expansion of the San Diego park unless SeaWorld stops breeding or capturing new orcas.
The company didn’t say whether it would stop its trained orca shows in its Orlando or San Antonio parks.