SeaWorld San Diego staff will produce its final “One Ocean” show this Sunday, ending a decades-old practice of including killer whales as park entertainers.
"We will conduct an interim orca educational presentation in the pool that is also used for underwater viewing... while we remove the existing theatrical moving screens and show set in the stadium and replace them with a natural backdrop that will reflect the natural world of the orca," said SeaWorld San Diego spokesperson Dave Koontz.
California banned killer whale breeding in 2016, affecting the company that operates the popular marine animal theme park located just north of downtown San Diego.
SeaWorld announced in March that it was no longer breeding orcas and would stop making whales do tricks at its amusement parks.
Koontz said the new feature, Orca Encounter, will open in summer 2017.
The new orca displays will be added to the company's other parks in Orlando and San Antonio by 2019.
