Seaworld: Corporate Social Responsibility
SeaWorld has a strong commitment overall as a company they have collaborated to include corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable business practices in their parks always. Corporate social responsibility is a business approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social, and environmental benefits for all stakeholders.
SeaWorld has put in endless efforts within the community including partnering with hospitals, and organizations that assist children with disabilities. They provide financial support with animal shelters, rescue groups, and participate in volunteer services to each group. SeaWorld strongly believes that they can help educate and inspire children and guests of all ages through their entertainment. They offer …show more content…
educational sessions at inner city schools, these sessions inform hundreds of students of the care that SeaWorld provides to numerous organizations and the thousands of animals they care for. SeaWorld has published over 300 scientific studies, along with contributing their knowledge and donating funds to numerous other research projects. In 2014 SeaWorld’s 10-K mentioned that SeaWorld offers free admission to active U.S military members, along with their families as well. Many people have different beliefs on their ethical view of zoos, theme parks, and circus operators. Animal welfare activist group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have criticized for years that captivity of the animals negatively affects the well-being of animals. This action included PETA filing a lawsuit against SeaWorld in 2011 for the violation of orca whale’s constitutional rights, claiming that SeaWorld captured five wild orcas from their natural habitat, separating the mother orcas from the children, and then forced the young orcas to perform as “slaves” throughout the SeaWorld parks. PETA’s statement included:
“All five of these orcas were violently seized from the ocean and taken from their families as babies. They are denied freedom and everything else that is natural and important to them while kept in small concrete tanks and reduced to performing stupid tricks.” (PETA, 2011, para. 4)
However, SeaWorld strongly states, with valid confirmation that they are committed to the overall safety and well-being of animals in the wild. For over fifty years, SeaWorld has participated in a program that rescues animals within a crisis from the wild, they bring these animals to SeaWorld facilities where they are then taken care of appropriately, and released back into the wild. If animals are not stable enough to be sent back into the wild then SeaWorld provides them with lifelong health care, from this program SeaWorld estimates that 24,000 animals have benefitted.
“Through our theme parks’ up-close animal encounters, educational exhibits and innovative entertainment, we strive to inspire each guest who visits one of our parks to care for and conserve the natural world.” (SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., 2015a, p.
15)
One of the most prominent ways SeaWorld has shown they truly do care about the animals, and environment is by the creation of a new SeaWorld parks website called “seaworldcares.com”. This new website features everything you need to know about how Seaworld cares for their animals, including additional links including: “Orca profiles”, “The new SeaWorld”, “Ask SeaWorld”, “SeaWorld in the news”, “SeaWorld cares blog”, and “What other say.” This website is filled with valid information on how SeaWorld is not causing any harm to the animals in their parks, and in the wildlife. Former SeaWorld employee stated in 2016:
“A common criticism of SeaWorld is that its trainers “make” the animals perform in shows. But in reality, we didn’t make the animals do anything. After all, it would be impossible to make a 9,000-pound creature do something it didn’t want to do. Shows are simply another type of interaction between animal and trainer.” (Mindbodygreen,
2016)
Dawn Brancheau, a former Seaworld trainer who tragically passed away in 2010 strongly believed in the ethical treatment of all animals, meaning Dawn would not have worked at SeaWorld if she did not believe that the animals were treated fairly. It is evident that SeaWorld is known as more than just a marine animal entertainment park, they truly are committed to animal care, rescue, research, and conservation.
SeaWorld has put in endless efforts within the community including partnering with hospitals, and organizations that assist children with disabilities. They provide financial support with animal shelters, rescue groups, and participate in volunteer services to each group. SeaWorld strongly believes that they can help educate and inspire children and guests of all ages through their entertainment. They offer …show more content…
educational sessions at inner city schools, these sessions inform hundreds of students of the care that SeaWorld provides to numerous organizations and the thousands of animals they care for. SeaWorld has published over 300 scientific studies, along with contributing their knowledge and donating funds to numerous other research projects. In 2014 SeaWorld’s 10-K mentioned that SeaWorld offers free admission to active U.S military members, along with their families as well. Many people have different beliefs on their ethical view of zoos, theme parks, and circus operators. Animal welfare activist group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have criticized for years that captivity of the animals negatively affects the well-being of animals. This action included PETA filing a lawsuit against SeaWorld in 2011 for the violation of orca whale’s constitutional rights, claiming that SeaWorld captured five wild orcas from their natural habitat, separating the mother orcas from the children, and then forced the young orcas to perform as “slaves” throughout the SeaWorld parks. PETA’s statement included:
“All five of these orcas were violently seized from the ocean and taken from their families as babies. They are denied freedom and everything else that is natural and important to them while kept in small concrete tanks and reduced to performing stupid tricks.” (PETA, 2011, para. 4)
However, SeaWorld strongly states, with valid confirmation that they are committed to the overall safety and well-being of animals in the wild. For over fifty years, SeaWorld has participated in a program that rescues animals within a crisis from the wild, they bring these animals to SeaWorld facilities where they are then taken care of appropriately, and released back into the wild. If animals are not stable enough to be sent back into the wild then SeaWorld provides them with lifelong health care, from this program SeaWorld estimates that 24,000 animals have benefitted.
“Through our theme parks’ up-close animal encounters, educational exhibits and innovative entertainment, we strive to inspire each guest who visits one of our parks to care for and conserve the natural world.” (SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., 2015a, p.
15)
One of the most prominent ways SeaWorld has shown they truly do care about the animals, and environment is by the creation of a new SeaWorld parks website called “seaworldcares.com”. This new website features everything you need to know about how Seaworld cares for their animals, including additional links including: “Orca profiles”, “The new SeaWorld”, “Ask SeaWorld”, “SeaWorld in the news”, “SeaWorld cares blog”, and “What other say.” This website is filled with valid information on how SeaWorld is not causing any harm to the animals in their parks, and in the wildlife. Former SeaWorld employee stated in 2016:
“A common criticism of SeaWorld is that its trainers “make” the animals perform in shows. But in reality, we didn’t make the animals do anything. After all, it would be impossible to make a 9,000-pound creature do something it didn’t want to do. Shows are simply another type of interaction between animal and trainer.” (Mindbodygreen,
2016)
Dawn Brancheau, a former Seaworld trainer who tragically passed away in 2010 strongly believed in the ethical treatment of all animals, meaning Dawn would not have worked at SeaWorld if she did not believe that the animals were treated fairly. It is evident that SeaWorld is known as more than just a marine animal entertainment park, they truly are committed to animal care, rescue, research, and conservation.