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This is my own little corner of The SWIG where I rant and rave about things that bother me without coloring the other content too much. Sea World in the corporate sense has a few policies and programs that bother me ethically. Also, Sea World San Diego has made some changes that really seem to me to be taking the park in the wrong direction. Every business has its dark side; I expose some of that here. Read on only if you dare.
Warning: This section of the Sea World Information Guide contains sensitive content. While the words used here are suitable for all ages, some of the opinions expressed may incite an emotional response.
If you disagree with my sentiments that is fine; I know we all have our opinions and I value the rights that we have to hold and express them. But please don't try to engage me in a debate or flame war, convince me I'm wrong, etc. You're wasting your time; I won't play along.
You probably already know, if you've read through the Florida or California pages, that I have strong negative feelings about Beer School. I appreciate what Anheuser-Busch has done to repair the damage done to the Sea World parks under Harcourt Brace Jovanovich’s rule. The parks were a real mess, and HBJ had infuriated not just the environmental groups, but also many of the local residents with some of the things they had done. When AB stepped in to buy Sea World, everyone was apprehensive. The changes they have made have been mostly positive. Some of the longer-term employees are not too happy, but that's another topic.
I appreciate how much money it takes to operate the theme parks and pay for all the research and rehabilitation that goes on behind the scenes. It's nice to have a corporate parent with such deep pockets. A-B had been quite graceful in not promoting their products throughout the park, with the exception of some merchandise in certain gift stores.
So why Beer School? Really, I'm generally ok with them having the Hospitality Pavilion and product sampling if, besides seeing the Clydesdales dragging the Budweiser Beer Wagon around, that is all the corporate promotion that is done. But Beer School is too over the top. In San Diego they are promoting it more heavily than Dine with Shamu. They hand out flyers to guests near the front entrance and at another point in the center of the walkway that passes near the Hospitality Pavilion. Thr flyers don't always get to the proper people; I heard a first-hand account from an infuriated parent whose thirteen year old child was given a flyer. It turns out that though the kids aren't allowed to sample the products, they are allowed in the room where the class is conducted.
"Hey, Chuck, let's go to Sea World and learn how beer is made!"
"Why would we want to do that?
"So we can get DRUNK!"
"Sounds good to me, Dave! Can we bring the kids?"
"Sure, they'll let them in to Beer School too so they can watch us!"
When I asked about why they were pushing it so hard, one employee told me that it was because Beer School attendance was so low and they were hoping to turn it around. The extra promotion has not had an impact; the day I attended there were five people were signed up for the first class (the room holds over 30 attendees), and only two were signed up for the second.
They really need to eliminate this unpopular, inappropriate program. I have been told that they are indeed considering it. The only reason Beer School is still around is because it is one of August Busch IV's pet projects. While the content of the class is somewhat educational, it belongs as part of a brewery tour, and not in a family theme park. I see no purpose to Beer School whatsoever as it relates to animal welfare and rehabilitation. Can somebody please explain it to me?
As one employee put it, "If Marlboro were sponsoring the park, would they be handing out free cigarettes to everyone?"
Around 1995, I came this >< close to signing up for the San Diego park's then new Dolphin Interaction Program. What stopped me was the cost ($120) and the fact that they offered the DIP only once a day, in the early hours before park opening. This meant that you needed reservations. Weekends were booked almost six months in advance, and to go on a weekday would have been fairly burdensome at the time. I passed.
Fast forward a couple of years. Dolphin Stadium was remodeled to create a larger backstage area. This new area was made so that the dolphins that were not performing could be used for the interaction program in between shows. The changes that bothered me are:
I'm concerned that the extra time the dolphins spend interacting with "strange" humans and the fact that they no longer have much of a "private" area will increase their stress tremendously. I've discussed this with a few employees, but they've tried taking a reassuring tone. I'd really like to see some data relating to the amount of aggressive behavior observed in the exhibit, both before and after the change.
Another major sore spot for me in putting rides in an animal park, especially roller coasters. How exactly does the roar of a coaster train whizzing by and the resultant squeals of the excited riders emulate the animals' native habitat? Not only that, but in some instances, they have completely removed or seriously downsized many habitats when adding some of these rides. The biggest problem, though, is when the focus is moved from teaching the public about saving the animals to promoting the latest hypercoaster that was added to the park's roster. The animals should not suffer because the bean counters think they need to compete with Six Flags or Disney.
In early February 2001, I spoke with Bill Davis, then General Manager of Sea World San Diego, about the lack of vegetarian food options. He told me to expect menu changes around April or May. I'm still waiting!
This is a rant about the lack of vegetarian dining options in the San Diego park. It's in the politics section because it is a rant, and honestly will likely affect only a few of you. Ok, so maybe I am taking this too far. After all, parkwide you have a BROAD choice of vegetarian options. They are:
The marinara sauce at Mama Stella's is meat-based. This means there are NO vegetarian options at this location short of those mentioned above. On a visit in May 2000, I saw the person ahead of me in line abandon his dinner order when he was informed of the meat base (fortunately, the employees WERE telling people, but only if asked). Three people in my group went elsewhere when they found out; two of them are vegetarians.
An employee I spoke with was rather upset about the situation, and stated that they had taken their case to management, who has turned a deaf ear. Allegedly, this is a corporate decision, from Mr. Busch's office, but I question that - why does Orlando continue to have such a diverse menu if this is true?
If you are impacted by or concerned about the lack of vegetarian options, I suggest you write a letter to:
General Manager Sea World San Diego 500 Sea World Dr. San Diego, CA 92109-7904
Let them know that you are upset about the lack of vegetarian options parkwide. In the meantime, I suggest you see my dining guide for suggestions outside the park, or bring your lunch or dinner in an ice chest left in your car.
Golly, does San Diego's foods management assume only meat lovers like to visit a park whose theme is animal conservation?
From what I have learned, while A-B's turnaround of the park has done wonders for the on-stage parts of the park (the part that guests see), the happiness ends there. Employee hours have been cut back from 40+ a week to an average of 28, which means they lose their full-time status. This means that they either have to pay for their benefits or lose them altogether. As I hear their complaints, I realize that this is not a phenomena unique to Sea World; Disneyland and other theme parks are doing the same thing to try to cut expenses.
This goes a long way towards explaining the gradual decline of the guest experience at the park over the last few years. I lodged my first complaint ever at Sea World in late 1997, after encountering not one but many surly, rude, and/or apathetic employees that day (In fairness, these were seasonal employees; most of the regular employees care about guest satisfaction). Sadly, the trend has been negative. Why work for Sea World, whose top entry-level position pays around $7 an hour (Cleaners working the overnight shift) when you can find better paying jobs elsewhere away from tourists? While they haven't had the type of turnover in long-term employees that Disney has, dissatisfaction is growing.
Even those who were bitter love their work for the most part. I hope that A-B wisens up and realizes that happy employees are the key to guest satisfaction.
The capsule summary is thus: I'd prefer that animals not be kept captive solely for public display purposes. I can accept having a limited number for research that will have a positive affect for the order as a whole. I also approve of programs in which efforts are being made to prevent extinction and/or rebuild the population via captive breeding programs, provided that a significant number of the offspring are released throughout the life of the program. I'm a lot less comfortable with captive breeding solely for maintaining or increasing aquarium exhibition stock, but it is superior to collecting animals from the wild. I have come to terms of acceptance with parks such as Sea World that are including public education as part of their exhibits and shows. I am strongly against displays whose sole purpose is amusement. There is little research being done there, and I feel that the animals' quality of life was poor due to their limited facilities.
Regarding the release of already captive animals, especially those that have been captive all their life or for many years: Don't. The motive is heroic, but the likelihood that the released animals would be happy, healthy, and would proliferate is pretty slim. Hey, if it's supposed to be such a great idea, why isn't Keiko living out his life in the wild by now?
Ack. Even the short version was way too long.
I am quite aware that there are many that believe that animals should not be kept in captivity for any reason. I respect your right to hold that opinion, and honor your peaceful efforts to attain your goals. I also believe people should not be continually harassed by those with opposing viewpoints. Know now that I have formed my opinions after many years of research, both via the media and by interacting with people in the field. I am quite aware of the atrocities that have been committed by Sea World and their ilk over the years. There is nothing that you can say nor any evidence that you can present that is going to sway my opinion and/or convince me to abandon this effort, so don't waste the bandwith. Please respect my rights as I respect yours. Thank you.
These guys scare me. In the name of the cause of saving animals' lives, they commit vandalism, arson, larceny, and even murder. And they see absolutely nothing wrong with it, nor the irony in their actions. Look up fanatic and hypocrite in the dictionary.
Policies don't change overnight, especially in the corporate world. Cutting someone's brake lines so they fly off a cliff and die is not going to get anyone to set an animal free. If anything, it will have much the opposite effect. If you want a policy changed, try two things: Peace and patience. Peaceful protests and reasonable discussions have a far greater impact and command much more public respect than fire bombings. It may take years or even decades, but patience and perseverance will pay off.
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