SeaWorld San Diego has announced it will be ending its killer whale show just days after the death of Tilikum the orca, but it's not as straight forward as it seems.
The final performance, which sees killer whales leaping out of the water, will take place on Sunday, though the show is to be replaced with a new attraction called Orca Encounter.
Unlike the long-running show, the new attraction aims to give a more educational experience but the whales will still be jumping out of the water and responding to trainers. So not really much difference then?
Al Garver. the vice president of zoological operations at SeaWorld, told the San Diego Union-Tribune: "We want to be able to demonstrate behaviours people would see in the wild with the killer whales and their abilities as a top predator in the sea. The vast majority of behaviours people have seen in our shows will be very suitable for demonstrating that."
Credit: PA
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Tilikum, the focus of the documentary Blackfish, died aged 36 last week. SeaWorld is still home to 11 killer whales, aged from two to 52, the Metro reports.
The company also added that it will be phasing out whale shows at its Orlando and San Antonio sites.