No more dolphins at Living Seas

I admit that I used to enjoy the interactions with dolphins at Seaworld but with some sense of shame now. In these more enlightened times we all realise that it's not always in the best interests of any animal for it to be kept in captivity. Particularly when it's expected to perform as in Shamu.

To qualify my statement regarding captivity there are circumstances where conservation and breeding become necessary for the survival of a species.

I have to applaud Disney for choosing to remove dolphins from any unnecessary captivity designed just for our entertainment. That's not to say that they were
mistreated. It's just wrong on every level to basically imprison such intelligent animals.

To quote from Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" where it turns out that dolphins were the dominant species who then decide to leave Earth :

" Goodbye and thanks for all the fish"

I think there is a place for marine parks in this world as a place to educate, inform, entertain, and care for aquatic animals that are either no longer equipped to survive in the wild or were born in captivity and lack the instincts to be released back to the wild. Yes, there is a line where that education, information, entertainment and caring crosses into exploitation, but I don't think that begins the moment you put a dolphin into a tank and throw them a beach ball.

Ultimately, I think this came down to a business proposition and an attraction concept Disney no longer feels wedded to and has nothing to do with a change in moral compass or ethical standards. The entire Living Seas Pavilion is a shadow of its former self, and if not for the mediocre Finding Nemo omni-mover associated with it (and short waits that draw impatient guests looking for something, anything to do in the black hole of EPCOT that is now World Nature), I doubt anyone would even bother walking through the aquarium. Despite it's massive size (it's still the second largest aquarium tank in the US behind the Georgia Aquarium) and cutting-edge (by 90's standards) features, Disney took the Homer approach by casually tiptoeing back into the hedge, leaving an outdated, virtually empty set of exhibits with a reskinned ride and an interactive show to entertain guests trapped inside.

It's no wonder Disney pulled the dolphins (and continue to reduce the total number of species occupying the massive facility). The Living Seas isn't a priority for the company, and they're tired of wasting money on a pavilion that doesn't move the needle - not because it couldn't, but because Disney doesn't want to invest in the upkeeping and continuous improvement of the facility. It has nothing to do with a change in attitude, mission, or a feeling that displaying dolphins represents animal cruelty, it's because Disney wanted to cut costs of high salary marine biologists, expensive veterinary care, and other pricy line items that come with operating a large marine mammal exhibit.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Disney to continue to trim the Living Seas until guests don't even bother stepping on the ride anymore, forcing the company to come up with some kind of replacement that fits into the new construct of World Nature. This is yet another example of the massive failure that EPCOT's re-envisioning has wrought. EPCOT used to be my favorite theme park in the world, and it's sad to see how many mistakes have been made trying to fix very simple problems. EPCOT has become a shadow of its former self, and it seems that every time Disney tries to do something to make it better, they end up making it worse.

@ Russell

I think you're second guessing Disney's motives here. It's likely that you're right in what you say but it's still speculation.
I suspect that it's a bit of both. Disney reduces their costs at the same time as aligning themselves with current popular views on animal captivity. Win-win.

I support any organisation that's involved with the responsible safeguarding of animals. Particularly those that are endangered due the reduction of habitat.
Zoos and Parks and Circuses once had a place because they provided the opportunity to view animals. Nowadays, however, many more people travel to see them in their natural environment and technology provides us with the ability to view them on our media platforms. So Zoos and Parks are becoming redundant
and Circuses with animals have all but gone.
Parks where the likes of Orcas, dolphins, seals etc are just there to be trained for our entertainment will follow. That's not conservation. That's business.