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"In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader. Overview In Canada, leaders of a party generally remains that party's de facto candidate for Prime Minister until they die, resign, or are dismissed by the party. In the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) and some provincial NDPs, the position of party leader was treated as all other positions on the party's executive committee, and open for election at party conventions generally held every two years although incumbent leaders rarely face more than token opposition. Usually, outgoing leaders retains the party leadership until their successor is chosen at a leadership convention. However, in some circumstances, such as the death or immediate resignation of a leader, that is not possible, and an interim leader is appointed by the party for the duration of the leadership campaign. In a few instances where a single leadership candidate has been unopposed by the entry deadline, the leadership convention has instead served as a venue for the membership to ratify the candidate. Even in such situations, however, the convention must still take place before the candidate can assume the formal and permanent leadership of the party, even if they are already serving as the party's interim leader. Traditionally, each riding association of a party holds a special meeting to elect a fixed number of delegates to represent it at a leadership convention. These meetings would often select "alternate delegates" or "alternates", who would attend the convention but vote only if one of the delegates from the riding association was unable to attend. In addition, delegates are often selected by the party's youth and women's associations in each riding, and party associations at university and college campuses. In addition to the elected delegates, a large number of ex officio delegates attend and vote at leadership conventions. These ex officio delegates are automatically entitled to attend by virtue of being an elected member of parliament for that party, a member of an affiliated party in a provincial legislature, a member of the party's national or provincial executive, of the executive of an affiliated women's or youth organization. Because of the implementation of "one member one vote" (OMOV) systems and proportional delegate elections by most parties, conventions have declined in importance. In recent years, the result of the vote is either known before the convention, or the voting does not take place at the venue. In a pure "one member one vote" system, each party member casts a ballot to elect the leader, and all ballots have equal weight. There are modified OMOV system may allow all members to vote but may weigh them differently in order to ensure equality among ridings regardless of party membership or which guarantee a proportion of the vote to historically important constituencies such as labour in the case of the NDP. The Liberal Party of Canada held the first leadership convention in 1919, electing William Lyon Mackenzie King. Prior to that the leader of the party was chosen by the party's parliamentary caucus. The historical Conservative Party used a leadership convention to select R.B. Bennett as party leader in 1927. The Parti Québécois was the first political party in Canada to adopt an OMOV system. Most provincial and federal parties adopted forms of OMOV in the 1990s. Until 2003, when it adopted an OMOV system, every biennial convention of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and its successor, the New Democratic Party, in the twentieth century was a leadership convention. However, in practice, contested elections were only held in the NDP when there was a declared leadership race. Both the modern Conservative Party and the NDP have instituted "one member one vote" systems in recent years. In 2003, the federal NDP used a modified system where the vote is calculated, so that ballots cast by labour delegates had 25% weight in the total result while votes cast by party members had 75%. While this modification is still used by some provincial sections of the NDP, the federal NDP now uses a pure OMOV process without a carve out for labour affiliates. The modern Conservative Party has adopted the Progressive Conservative Party system of OMOV, where each riding has equal weight in a point system. The party's other predecessors, the Reform Party of Canada and Canadian Alliance, had pure OMOV systems. The Liberals were the last party to select its leaders using delegated conventions, though more recent Liberal conventions used a system where delegates in a riding were apportioned by proportional representation. In 2009 the Liberal Party approved a constitutional amendment requiring future leadership elections to be conducted using a modified OMOV system in which each riding is accorded equal weight. The 2009 convention that ratified Michael Ignatieff's leadership was conducted under the old rules. The last delegated Liberal convention to feature a contested race was the 2006 convention that chose Stéphane Dion. The Bloc Québécois has used a pure OMOV system since 1997. Recent federal conventions The Conservatives held their most recent leadership election on 23–24 August 2020 due to Andrew Scheer's resignation as party leader following the party's poorer-than- expected showing in the 2019 federal election. The Conservatives elected Erin O'Toole as its new leader on the fourth ballot. The Liberals, on April 14, 2013 chose Justin Trudeau as their leader at the party's leadership election. The Liberal Party used a weighted One Member One Vote system in which all party members could cast ballots but in which they would be counted so that each riding had equal weight. The New Democratic Party held its most recent leadership election on October 1, 2017, due to incumbent leader Thomas Mulcair having lost a vote on a leadership review at the New Democratic Party's federal convention held in Edmonton, Alberta on April 10, 2016. The NDP chose Jagmeet Singh as its new leader. The Bloc Québécois held its most recent leadership election on January 17, 2019 and chose Yves-François Blanchet as leader. The Green Party held its most recent leadership election between September 26 and October 3, 2020 and chose Annamie Paul as leader on the eighth ballot. See also * Primaries =Active federal parties= *Bloc Québécois leadership elections *Conservative Party of Canada leadership elections *Green Party of Canada leadership elections *Liberal Party of Canada leadership elections *New Democratic Party leadership conventions =Defunct federal parties= *Canadian Alliance leadership elections *Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leadership elections *Social Credit Party of Canada leadership conventions =Provincial parties= Alberta *Alberta Liberal Party leadership elections *Alberta New Democratic Party leadership elections *Alberta Progressive Conservative Association leadership elections *1968 Social Credit Party of Alberta leadership election *2009 Wildrose Alliance Party leadership election British Columbia *British Columbia Liberal Party leadership conventions *British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership conventions *British Columbia Reform Party leadership elections *British Columbia Social Credit Party leadership conventions Manitoba *Manitoba Liberal Party leadership elections *Manitoba New Democratic Party leadership elections *Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party leadership elections New Brunswick *New Brunswick Liberal Association leadership elections *New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party leadership elections Newfoundland and Labrador *Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party leadership elections *Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership elections Nova Scotia *Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership elections *Nova Scotia New Democratic Party leadership elections *Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Association leadership elections Ontario *Ontario CCF/NDP leadership conventions *Ontario Liberal Party leadership elections *Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership conventions *Green Party of Ontario leadership elections Prince Edward Island *Prince Edward Island Liberal Party leadership elections *Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island leadership elections Quebec *Parti Québécois leadership elections *Quebec Conservative Party leadership elections *Quebec Liberal Party leadership elections *Union Nationale leadership elections Saskatchewan *Saskatchewan New Democratic Party leadership conventions *Saskatchewan Party leadership elections *Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan leadership elections References External links * List of Leadership Conventions (Parliament of Canada site) Category:Political terminology in Canada * "
"Thomas Littleton Powys, 4th Baron Lilford (18 March 1833 – 17 June 1896), was a British aristocrat and ornithologist. Life Lilford was the eldest son of Thomas Powys, 3rd Baron Lilford, and Hon. Mary Elizabeth Fox, daughter of Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland. He was born in Stanhope Street, Mayfair, London, on 18 March 1833. He succeeded his father as fourth Baron in 1861. Lilford was one of the eight founders of the British Ornithologists' Union in 1858 and its President from 1867 until his death. He was also the first President of the Northamptonshire Natural History Society. Lilford travelled widely, especially around the Mediterranean and his extensive collection of birds was maintained in the grounds of Lilford Hall, his second residence was Bank Hall in Bretherton, Lancashire, which he inherited from his father (3rd Baron Lilford), who inherited it from George Anthony Legh Keck.J Howard (2011) "Bank Hall Timeline", He inherited the Holland Estates from his mother's family. Until 1891, his aviaries featured birds from around the globe, including rheas, kiwis, Pink-headed ducks and a pair of free-flying Bearded vultures. He was responsible for the introduction of the Little owl into England in the 1880s. He wrote about birds including Notes on the Birds of Northamptonshire and Neighbourhood (1895) and Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands, which was completed by Osbert Salvin after his death. A species of European lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, is named in his honor.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Lilford", p. 158). Family Emma Elizabeth Brandling, later Lady Lilford (George Frederic Watts) Lord Lilford married, firstly, Emma Elizabeth Brandling, daughter of Robert William Brandling, in 1859. After her death in 1884 he married, Clementina Georgina, daughter of Ker Baillie-Hamilton, in 1885. He died in June 1896, aged 63, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son from his first marriage, John. Lady Lilford died in 1929. A metal plaque commemorating a "Cedar of Atlantica" planted by Lady Lilford in 1897, was found in 2005 and is displayed in the visitor centre at Bank Hall. Bibliography * (in 7 volumes, 1885–1897) Notes References * Sources *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * * Category:1833 births Category:1896 deaths Category:British ornithologists Category:Fellows of the Zoological Society of London Thomas 4 "
"SeaWorld is a United States theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by SeaWorld Entertainment (one park will be owned and operated by Miral under a license). The parks feature orcas, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations located within the United States in Orlando, Florida; San Diego, California; San Antonio, Texas; later outside the United States such as Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and previously Aurora, Ohio. On March 5, 2007, SeaWorld Orlando announced addition of the Aquatica water park to its adventure park, which already includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. SeaWorld parks also feature thrill rides, including roller coasters like Kraken, Mako and Manta at SeaWorld Orlando, and Steel Eel and The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio. Journey to Atlantis, a combination roller coaster and splashdown ride, can be found at all three parks. The parks were owned by Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch, which is best known for brewing beer. In 2009, Busch Entertainment was sold to the Blackstone Group and subsequently renamed SeaWorld Entertainment. In 2013, Blackstone sold 37% of SeaWorld Entertainment in an initial public offering and sold its remaining 21% holding to Zhonghong Zhuoye in 2017. The parks' marine mammal collections have been the subject of public debate over the years. The 2013 documentary film Blackfish, produced after a SeaWorld Orlando trainer was killed by one of the park's orcas, led to initial decreases in attendance, profits and the company's share price. In 2018, SeaWorld's attendance and revenue began to recover with the addition of new rides, shows, and animal exhibits at its parks, as well as increased marketing about the parks' conservation and rescue efforts. It is a major theme park competitor to Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Universal Parks & Resorts. In 2016, SeaWorld announced that they would end their in-park orca breeding program and eventually phase out their theatrical orca shows altogether (due to state legislation in California that banned shows using orcas) starting in San Diego. It was announced later in the same year, that SeaWorld would build their first park without killer whales and outside of the United States in Abu Dhabi. History Kasatka, one of SeaWorld San Diego's nine killer whales, performs during a routine Shamu Adventure show. Trainer "surfing" on top of Katina, a killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando. Marble, Porter, Jensen, Starbuck, Baretta, and Clyde performing in Blue Horizons at SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld was founded in 1964 by Milton C. Shedd, Ken Norris, David Demott and George Millay. The four graduates of UCLA originally set out to build an underwater restaurant and marine life show. When the underwater restaurant concept was deemed unfeasible, they scrapped those plans and decided to build a park instead, and SeaWorld San Diego was opened on March 21, 1964. With only a few dolphins, sea lions, 6 attractions and , the park proved to be a success and more than 400,000 guests visited in the first 12 months. After considering other locations in the midwest, including the Lake Milton/Newton Falls area west of Youngstown, Ohio, it was decided that Aurora, Ohio would be the new home of a SeaWorld. The Aurora site was approximately northwest of the Lake Milton site and southeast of Cleveland. By this time, the founders of the company had captured a few more species of animals, including a killer whale that was brought to the new facility. The harsh winter climate permitted the park to be open only from mid-May until mid-September. The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida opened near the end of the second operating season of SeaWorld Ohio. The success of Disney in Orlando provided a location that was already popular with tourists. SeaWorld Orlando opened in 1973. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. (HBJ) purchased the company in 1976 and 12 years later they began a venture in Texas. In 1988, SeaWorld San Antonio opened just a few miles outside of San Antonio. Growth has pushed the city outwards and now SeaWorld San Antonio lies in the Westover Hills community in West San Antonio. The park was open year- round like its sister parks in California and Florida in 1988 and 1989, then went to a seasonal schedule. The stress and financial resources it took to build and maintain a state-of-the-art marine mammal facility in the late 1980s eventually took its toll on the company. HBJ, whose primary focus was producing school books, needed to reduce its assets in order to avoid a bankruptcy. The Anheuser-Busch Company made an offer to purchase the SeaWorld parks. HBJ also owned and operated two other parks, Cypress Gardens and Boardwalk and Baseball, and out of fear of not being able to find a buyer for the two other parks, HBJ refused to sell the parks individually. Despite a long negotiation, Anheuser-Busch bought all six parks in 1989: SeaWorld in San Diego, Aurora, Orlando and San Antonio as well as Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven and Boardwalk and Baseball in Haines City. Soon after the sale was final, Busch sold Cypress Gardens to the park's management and closed Boardwalk and Baseball. Anheuser-Busch put millions of dollars back into the parks to revive and prolong their longevity. SeaWorld is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). In 2009, Busch Entertainment was sold to the Blackstone Group and subsequently renamed SeaWorld Entertainment. In 2013, Blackstone sold 37% of Entertainment in an initial public offering. In 2016, SeaWorld admitted that it had been sending its employees to pose as activists to spy on animal rights organization PETA. Following an investigation by an outside law firm, SeaWorld's Board of Directors directed management to end the practice. Locations =SeaWorld San Diego= SeaWorld San Diego, the first SeaWorld park, opened on March 21, 1964. The park features shows such as Sea Lions Live, a comedic show with sea lions and otters, Dolphin Days, a dolphin show, and Orca Encounter, an educational show about killer whales and their behavior in the wild. There are also many seasonal shows which are featured in the summer, notability Cirque Electrique. Rides include Shipwreck Rapids, a water raft ride, Manta and Electric Eel, roller coasters, Journey to Atlantis, a splashdown ride that also has characteristics of a roller coaster, and a new B&M; dive coaster, Emperor, that is set to open in 2020. Electric Ocean is the park's nightly summer event featuring pop and electronic style music with lights and seasonal shows, Sea Lions Tonite (a nighttime Sea Lion show featuring spoofs of other SeaWorld shows and attractions), Atlantis Ignites (a tesla coil and projection show), and Cirque Electrique (a Cirque du Soleil-style show on the water that is an electric remaster of the original Cirque de la Mer show). This is the only park being shut down since mid-March 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. =SeaWorld Orlando= SeaWorld Orlando opened on December 15, 1973. One Ocean, a killer whale show that premiered April 22, 2011, was hosted here, before being replaced with "Orca Encounter", along with, Dolphin Days, the park's dolphin show, and, a new show that made its debut on June 14, 2015, Clyde and Seamore's Sea Lion High This show was recently changed to Clyde and Seamore's Sea Lion High: The New Class in early 2019. . The park contains 4 roller coasters: Kraken, a floorless coaster based on the mythical sea creature, Manta, a coaster designed to simulate how manta rays move, Mako (opened July 2016) and Super Grover's Box Car Derby, a coaster oriented to kids located in the Sesame Street themed area. It is also home to the original Journey to Atlantis Water Coaster. SeaWorld's Electric Ocean is SeaWorld Orlando's night program, featuring the fireworks show Ignite, a sea lion show Sea Lions Tonite, a dolphin show Touch The Sky and killer whale show Shamu's Celebration: Light Up the Night. =SeaWorld San Antonio= SeaWorld San Antonio opened on May 27, 1988. Its formal opening over Memorial Day Weekend 1988 held about 75,000 people. 3.3 million people visited SeaWorld San Antonio during its first year, 10% more than what was originally projected. The park shows “Orca Encounter”, an educational killer whale show; Ocean Discovery an educational show featuring dolphins and beluga whales; and Clyde & Seamore's Sea Lion High, a sea lion show following the sea lions Clyde and Seamore trying to pass their classes. Parks rides include Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster, a double launch roller coaster, The Great White, an inverted roller coaster, Steel Eel, a roller coaster reaching a height of 150 feet, and Journey to Atlantis, a water roller coaster into the mythical land of Atlantis and Texas Stingray a wooden steel hybrid Coaster. = SeaWorld Abu Dhabi = In 2008, Busch Entertainment had previously announced plans to open a fourth SeaWorld park in Dubai, UAE, but those plans were abandoned amidst the international financial crisis. In May 2014, SeaWorld announced renewed plans to build a park in the Middle East, but did not specify a timeline or specific location. On December 13, 2016, SeaWorld announced that it will open its first overseas theme park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2022. It will also be the first franchised SeaWorld park. SeaWorld Ohio sale, rebirth, and eventual transition In February 2001, Anheuser-Busch sold the SeaWorld Ohio park to Six Flags, Inc., operators of neighboring Six Flags Ohio. Upon completion of the sale, the two parks were combined in spring 2001 as the so- called "mega-park" "Six Flags Worlds of Adventure", which boasted its "three parks in one" uniqueness: a waterpark, an amusement park, and a wildlife animal park, all included in one price of admission. SeaWorld executives replied that their park was sold because of the short season of the animal park, Northeastern Ohio's cold winter months, and also because they were not able to get the necessary permits to build roller coasters like the other SeaWorld properties had been able to. In March 2004, Six Flags announced that it had sold Six Flags Worlds of Adventure to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, operators of the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Cedar Fair took the park back to its original Geauga Lake name. Since Six Flags retained ownership of the animals, the majority of the animal portion of the park, including all of the exhibits and animal stadiums, was either emptied or fenced off for the 2004 season. After a nearly season-long wait, the Cedar Fair company announced its plans for the non-operational side. That entire portion of the land would become an immense waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom, opening in two phases, with the first phase in 2005, followed by the second phase in 2006. This decision marked the end of the marine-life park permanently. All of the animal stadiums and buildings were next torn down or converted into other venues. Some of the SeaWorld property remained intact, albeit hidden or modified. What remained included the former seal and sea lion area, the Ski Stadium (to be used in a Lumberjack show in 2006), the aquarium (to be used for unknown purposes), and two movie theater houses/simulators, once housing 3D/4D movies. The Ski Stadium was removed in 2008 to make way for Coconut Cove, a refreshment station/observation area. All of these, except for Wildwater Kingdom, closed in 2007. In 2016, Wildwater Kingdom announced they would close after the 2016 season. Orcas Takara demonstrating a breaching move during the Believe show at SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld's main attraction is its killer whales, several of which are housed in 5.8-million-gallon tanks (equivalent to nine Olympic sized swimming pools) that are each known as Shamu Stadium. Shamu was the name of the first killer whale brought to SeaWorld San Diego in the 1960s from the Seattle Marine Aquarium. 'Shamu' is now used as a stage name for killer whales in performances at SeaWorld parks. Currently, SeaWorld houses 20 killer whales in its three parks. * Ten killer whales live at SeaWorld San Diego: Corky, Ulises, Orkid, Nakai, Ikaika, Kalia, Keet, Shouka, Makani and Amaya. * Five killer whales live at SeaWorld Orlando: Makaio, Malia, Trua, Katina, and Nalani * Five killer whales live at SeaWorld San Antonio: Kyuquot, Takara, Sakari, Tuar and Kamea. Organizations such as World Animal Protection and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society campaign against the captivity of dolphins and killer whales; SeaWorld, which holds most of the world's captive killer whales, is cited for its role. Killer whale captivity is a widely debated topic. Regarding anatomy, captive killer whales can exhibit collapsed dorsal fins. However, this trait has been witnessed in the wild and a prominent theory proposes this phenomenon can occur when any orcas live in relatively warmer conditions. Though, since captive orcas are more likely to breach, rising up to warmer waters, captivity itself can increase the temperature in which these whales live. Some evidences has shown that the condition can manifest in individuals after a month in captivity. Some argue that aggression among captive killer whales is common, whilst others claim that this also occurs in the wild. In August 1989, a dominant female killer whale, Kandu V, attempted to rake a newcomer whale, Corky II, with her mouth during a live show and smashed her head into a wall. Kandu V broke her jaw, which severed an artery, and then bled to death. In November 2006, a dominant female killer whale, Kasatka, repeatedly dragged experienced trainer, Ken Peters, to the bottom of the stadium pool during a show after hearing her calf crying for her in the back pools. In February 2010, an experienced female trainer at SeaWorld Orlando, Dawn Brancheau, was killed by killer whale Tilikum shortly after a show in Shamu Stadium. The whale had been associated with the deaths of two people previously. In May 2012, administrative law judge Ken Welsch upheld two Occupational Safety and Health Administration citations after Dawn Brancheau's death, including one directly related to her death, and fined the company a total of $12,000. Trainers were banned from making close contact with the whales. In April 2014 the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied an appeal by SeaWorld. On December 22, 2015, an 18-year old SeaWorld orca, Unna, died at the SeaWorld Park in San Antonio, Texas. =Blackfish= In 2013, SeaWorld's treatment of killer whales in captivity was the basis of the movie Blackfish, which documents the history of Tilikum, a killer whale captured by SeaLand of the Pacific, later transported to SeaWorld Orlando who has been involved in the deaths of three people.Whiting, Candace Calloway. In the Wake of Blackfish -- Is it Time to Retire the Last Killer Whale Whose Capture Was Shown in the Film?", TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013. In the aftermath of the release of the film, Martina McBride, 38 Special, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, Heart, Barenaked Ladies, Trisha Yearwood and Willie Nelson canceled scheduled concerts at SeaWorld parks.Streisand, Elizabeth Durand, "Bands Back Out of SeaWorld Concerts Because of 'Blackfish'" Yahoo! News December 9, 2013 SeaWorld disputes the accuracy of the film, calling it “propaganda” and “emotionally manipulative”. It has spent $15 million on an advertising campaign countering the allegations and emphasizing its contributions to the study of whales and their conservation. In August 2014, SeaWorld announced it planned to build new killer whale tanks that would be almost double the size of the existing ones to provide more space for its whales, scheduled for completion in 2018. The company maintained the move was not in response to the release of the Blackfish documentary. Wild killer whales may travel up to 160 kilometres (100 mi) in a day and critics say the animals are too big and intelligent to be suitable for captivity. PETA, which opposes whales being kept in captivity has proposed the theme park operator base its whales in seaside sanctuaries. The company also pledged $10 million in matching funds for killer whale research. The plans to increase the size of the tanks in San Diego were put on hold in October 2015 after the California Coastal Commission ruled that the work could only go ahead if they banned captive breeding, which would eventually lead to end of killer whale shows at the park. On March 17, 2016, SeaWorld announced the end of their breeding program, which signifies the last generation of orcas in captivity in their care, though Takara was still pregnant at the time. Theatrical orca shows ended at SeaWorld San Diego in 2017 and ended in Orlando and San Antonio in 2019. In November 2014, SeaWorld announced that attendance at the parks had dropped 5.2% from the previous year and profits had fallen 28% over that quarter. As of November 2014, the company's stock was down 50% from the previous year.Omberg, Emily, "SeaWorld's financial struggles from 'Blackfish' affecting Busch Gardens", Orlando Sun Times, November 18, 2014Omberg, Emily, "SeaWorld losing revenue, attendance and profit because of "Blackfish"", Orlando Sun Times, November 12, 2014Trigaux, Robert, "As SeaWorld suffers 'Blackfish' impact, Busch Gardens suffers, too", Tampa Bay Times, November 17, 2014 From 2014 to 2015, net income in the second quarter fell 84% from $37.4 million to $5.8 million, while revenue fell from $405 million to $392 million. In February 2020, SeaWorld announced a $65 million settlement with investors who alleged that the company had deceived them about the documentary's effect on park attendance. Animal rescue and rehabilitation program SeaWorld operates its conservation program in cooperation with the Department of the Interior, National Marine Fisheries Service and state agencies; its rescue and rehabilitation program was developed to comply with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Hillard, James M. Aquariums of North America: A Guidebook to Appreciating North America's Aquatic Treasures, p. 50. Scarecrow Press, Jan 1, 1995 Since its inception SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has rescued or helped more than 33,000 animals, including ill, orphaned or abandoned and injured manatees, dolphins, pilot whales, sea turtles, and birds. As part of its animal rehabilitation program, SeaWorld has claimed the first birth of a killer whale in captivity, the first birth of a marine mammal via artificial insemination and the first hatching of captive green sea turtles. While acknowledging the value of these programs, critics and animal rights advocates have questioned SeaWorld's balance of conservation and education alongside the commercial activities of its theme parks. In 1998, SeaWorld, with the help of the US Coast Guard, released the gray whale J.J. after the whale was rehabilitated at SeaWorld San Diego for 14 months. Groups concerned for the health and safety of SeaWorld's captive killer whale population have asked for the animals to be released. SeaWorld has defended their decision to keep the animals by citing their inability to survive in the wild after years of captivity. Response to drive hunt capture allegations Dolphins gesture language In response to claims leveled at SeaWorld and other marine parks by the movie The Cove which accuses them of obtaining dolphins taken in drive hunts, SeaWorld spokesperson Fred Jacobs stated that, "We think we're being unfairly criticized for something we're opposed to." It is illegal to bring drive hunt animals into the United States. He adds that, "SeaWorld opposes the dolphin hunts documented in The Cove. We do not purchase any animals from these hunts. More than 80 percent of the marine mammals in our care were born in our parks. We haven't collected a dolphin from the wild in decades." Since 1993, there have been no permits issued to facilities in the United States to import dolphins acquired through drive hunt methods. Marilee Menard, the executive director of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, has also stated that she believes that The Cove filmmakers are "misrepresenting that the majority of zoos and aquariums with dolphins around the world are taking these animals. " See also * Incidents at SeaWorld parks * Captive killer whales References External links * * Category:1964 establishments in California Category:Oceanaria in the United States Category:SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Category:Zoos established in 1964 "