ORLANDO, Fla. — SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. is mounting a public defense of its animal handling in a new advertising campaign that began Monday, after a highly critical 2013 documentary left the park with declining revenue and attendance.
The print and YouTube campaign focuses on the marine-life theme park’s efforts to care for animals in captivity and in the wild. Income and turnout at SeaWorld have fallen since the release of the documentary “Blackfish,” which examined what led a killer whale to drown a trainer in 2010 at SeaWorld’s Orlando park.
The YouTube campaign shows videos of behind-the-scenes caring for SeaWorld’s marine mammals by the company’s veterinarians. The print campaign features the company’s top veterinarian saying the animals’ “health and well-being is my priority every day.”
SeaWorld senior corporate affairs officer Jill Kermes said the new campaign was long-term and “it will continue to grow and evolve.”
