Conservation and education have been core values for SeaWorld for more than four decades.
Half a billion people have passed through the gates of a SeaWorld park since 1964, and each has benefitted from educational experiences intended to inspire a deeper understanding, respect and desire to protect all wildlife.
SeaWorld’s commitment to animals also goes far beyond the parks. For 45 years, SeaWorld has helped animals in need -- ill, injured, orphaned and abandoned. More than 17,000 animals have been rescued by SeaWorld’s animal experts, and the majority of those animals are successfully treated and returned to the wild. |
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SEAWORLD CARING FOR MORE THAN 60 OIL SPILL-IMPACTED TURTLES ORLANDO, FL -- (Monday, August 2) Today, SeaWorld veterinarian Dr. Scott Gearhart examines an endangered loggerhead sea turtle for health issues related to oil at SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. SeaWorld has treated more than 60 turtles impacted by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico within the last 45 days. (SeaWorld/Jason Collier)
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SeaWorld Cares For Orphan Manatee … (July 27, 2010) … Orlando, Fla. – SeaWorld animal care specialist Jeff Braso bottle-feeds a baby manatee, Tuesday, July 27, at SeaWorld’s Rescue & Rehabilitation Center in Orlando, Fla. The park’s animal staff has been providing 24-hour care for the animal since she was orphaned by her mother in Daytona Beach, Fla. on July 24, 2010.
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SEAWORLD TRANSPORTS TURTLES DISPLACED BY OIL SPILL … (Orlando, Fla.) … June 25, 2010 -- SeaWorld aquarist Gary Violetta checks out an endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle at the Orlando Executive Airport after the animal arrived from the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Miss. Nine turtles were transported to SeaWorld because the IMMS needed to make space for the arrival of animals in need of treatment due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. SeaWorld is one of the few organizations with the expertise to tend to the special needs of Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles.
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SEAWORLD EXAMS TURTLE DISPLACED BY OIL SPILL … (Orlando, Fla.) … June 25, 2010 – SeaWorld aquarist Gary Violetta and veterinarian Dr. Lara Croft perform a health assessment exam on an endangered Kemp‘s Ridley sea turtle at SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Center. Nine turtles were transported to SeaWorld from Gulfport, Miss. because the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies needed to make space for the arrival of animals in need of treatment due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. SeaWorld is one of the few organizations with the expertise to tend to the special needs of Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles.
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SEAWORLD PREPS GULFPORT TURTLES FOR RELEASE … (Orlando, Fla.) … July 7, 2010 … SeaWorld aquarist Julie Moore looks over an identification tag placed on a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle. The animal is being released with five other turtles near Marco Island, Fla. The animals are part of a group that arrived from Gulfport, Miss. when a facility there needed to make room for animals in need of treatment due to the oil spill.
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SEAWORLD RELEASES TURTLES DISPLACED BY THE OIL SPILL … July 8, 2010 …
(Marco Island, Fla.) … SeaWorld Orlando aquarist Dan Conklin releases an endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle into the waters off Marco Island, Fla. on July 8. The reptile one was on five turtles released by SeaWorld after a two-week stay at the park’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. The turtle was part of group of nine turtles transported to SeaWorld from Gulfport, Miss. because the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies needed to make space for the arrival of animals in need of treatment due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
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SEAWORLD REHABS MORE TURTLES DISPLACED BY OIL SPILL … July 15, 2010 … (Orlando, Fla.) … SeaWorld veterinarian Dr. Kathy Heym examines a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle at SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation today after the animal arrived from Gulfport. Miss. The endangered reptile is part of a turtle trio that came from a Gulfport rehabilitation facility as they clear space for animals in need of oil treatment. At SeaWorld, veterinarians will continue the animals’ treatment for fishing hook injures before releasing them to make room for more oil-related animals. SeaWorld is one of the few facilities with the expertise to rehabilitate Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles and has received 12 turtles from that region in the last three weeks.
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SEAWORLD TRANSPORTS DE-OILED TURTLES FROM GULF… (Panama City Beach, Fla.) … July 20, 2010 … SeaWorld aquarist Dan Conklin prepares to transport a de-oiled Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle from Panama City Beach, Fla. to SeaWorld in Orlando today. The endangered reptile was one of 19 green and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles transferred to SeaWorld’s rescue and rehabilitation facility after being cleaned of oil at the Gulf World Marine Park. The animals will rehabilitate at SeaWorld, with the goal to eventually release them back into the wild.
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MORE TURTLES DISPLACED BY OIL SPILL ARRIVE AT SEAWORLD … July 15, 2010 … (Orlando, Fla.) … SeaWorld aquarist Lateesha Hektner places a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle into a transport unit at Orlando Executive Airport today after the animal’s arrival from Gulfport, Miss. The endangered reptile is part of a turtle trio that came from a Gulfport rehabilitation facility as they clear space for animals in need of oil treatment. At SeaWorld, veterinarians will continue the animals’ treatment for fishing hook injures before releasing them to make room for more oil-related animals. SeaWorld is one of the few facilities with the expertise to rehabilitate Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles and has received 12 turtles from that region in the last three weeks.
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SEAWORLD REHABS DE-OILED TURTLES … (Orlando, Fla.) … July 20, 2010 … SeaWorld veterinarian Dr. Chris Dold examines a de-oiled sea turtle from Panama City Beach, Fla. at SeaWorld’s Rescue and Rehabilitation Center today. The endangered reptile was one of 19 green and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles transported to SeaWorld’s rescue and rehabilitation facility after they were cleaned of oil. The animals will rehabilitate at SeaWorld, with the goal to eventually release them back into the wild.
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GLOBAL LEADERS IN ANIMAL RESCUE AND REHABILITATION … SeaWorld rescues a young female manatee from a canal near Satellite Beach, FL. The goal with every rescued animal is to eventually return it back into nature. No organization in the world today rescues, rehabilitates and returns to the wild more marine animals than SeaWorld.
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SEAWORLD’S TURTLE RESCUE PROGRAM … SeaWorld aquarists release an endangered 200-pound loggerhead sea turtle back into the waters of Cocoa Beach, FL. From tiny loggerhead hatchlings to giant adult leatherbacks, SeaWorld Orlando has rescued more than 1,300 endangered sea turtles in its history.
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SEAWORLD RESCUES WAYWARD DOLPHIN … SeaWorld’s animal rescue team tends to a female dolphin after rescuing her from a lake near Orlando, FL. The animal became trapped in the unlikely location after swimming approximately 100 miles from her home near Jacksonville, FL. SeaWorld specialists rescued, treated, transported and then released the animal off of Florida’s east coast.
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SUCCESSFUL BREEDING PROGRAMS … SeaWorld's killer whale breeding program is the most successful in the world, with 24 successful killer whale births since the program’s inception in 1985. More than 80 percent of the marine mammals in SeaWorld’s care were born in the parks. Additionally, the breeding program has made major contributions to the understanding of killer whale biology and reproductive physiology.
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ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE … SeaWorld veterinarian, Dr. Scott Gearhart, bottle feeds a baby manatee while educating young environmental steward Stephanie Cohen. SeaWorld invited Stephanie to the park for this special meet-and-greet after hearing of her grassroots efforts to help save manatees in the wild. SeaWorld also has a nationally-recognized awards program that rewards schools and organizations that are making a difference in conservation with $10,000 to continue their efforts.
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CONSERVATION CLASSROOM … SeaWorld campers get up close and personal with killer whales during an education session. In a single year SeaWorld’s formal education programs offered more than 500,000 hours of structured teaching, and reached more than half a million guests. These education programs include camps, field trips, interaction programs and tours.
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SEAWORLD RESCUES ABANDONED OTTER … SeaWorld San Diego senior animal care specialist, Mark Bressler, grooms Abby, a rescued California sea otter abandoned by her mother. SeaWorld hand-raised the pup after her rescue from near death. Abby is now thriving at the marine-life park and has become a wonderful ambassador for her species.
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SEAWORLD RELEASES RESCUED HARBOR SEAL … SeaWorld San Diego senior animal care specialist, Kevin Robinson, returns a rescued harbor seal back to the ocean after its successful rehabilitation.
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SEAWORLD VETS PROVIDE CARE … SeaWorld San Diego senior veterinarian, Dr. Todd Schmitt, conducts a medical examination of a harbor seal rescued after it was abandoned by its mother. Once the pup is older and able to forage for fish, he will be released back to the ocean.
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ABANDONED PUPS RESCUED … SeaWorld San Diego senior animal care specialist, Mark Bressler, bottle feeds a rescued harbor seal pup. All three pups shown here were rescued by SeaWorld after they were abandoned by their mothers. Once the pups are older and able to forage for fish, they will be returned to the ocean by SeaWorld.
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EDUCATIONAL AMBASSADORS … Elementary school students enjoy an educational penguin presentation at SeaWorld San Diego. One of the marine-life park’s Magellanic penguins help the students learn about various penguin species as well as the threats to their habitat and food sources in the wild. All of SeaWorld's animals are wonderful educational ambassadors for their species.
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SULLY THE PILOT WHALE … George Kieffer (left), president of the Southern Caribbean Cetacean Network in Curacao, and SeaWorld senior trainer, Eric Otjen, lower Sully the rescued pilot whale into a pool at his new home at SeaWorld San Diego. Sully was found beached on the island of Curacao. After trainers from the island's Dolphin Academy nursed him back to health, several attempts were made to return Sully to the wild. However, he was never able to re-establish himself with other pilot whales and continued to seek human care. After many months, it was determined the Sully would be unable to care for himself in the wild and he was transported to SeaWorld San Diego. Without SeaWorld’s care, Sully would not have survived. He is now thriving and socializing with several of the park's dolphins. Sully will be introduced to SeaWorld’s other two resident pilot whales later this year and so he can live with members of his own species.
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WHALE OF A FEEDING … A SeaWorld San Diego trainer feeds JJ the grey whale. JJ was rescued, near death, from a beach in Marina Del Rey. SeaWorld cared for JJ for the next 15 months, creating a baby grey whale milk formula that was critical to nursing her back to health. After gaining nearly 20,000 pounds and growing to more than 30 feet in length, JJ was released back to the ocean off the California coast. During his care at SeaWorld, millions of park visitors were able to see and learn more about this amazing animal.
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