Visitors to SeaWorld Orlando are no longer able to feed the dolphins, a tradition that has been going on at the park for decades. Guests are still able to pet the dolphins, and purchase a 10-minute, $15 package that lets them touch the dolphins and have a photo taken with them. Online advance sign-ups begin March 2 and each session includes five groups of up to 10 people each.
Becca Bides, SeaWorld spokeswoman, says that this new procedure is similar to how guests interact with the dolphins in the company’s San Diego and San Antonio parks.
Mark Palmer, associate director for the International Marine Mammal Project at Earth Island Institute, says this is a positive change. He says that guests could inadvertently drop things into the pools and that feeding programs like SeaWorld’s are rare, due to stomach problems that many dolphins suffer from.
Scott Smith, assistant hospitality instructor at the University of South Carolina, said the timing of this program change is unfortunate, after the park has had so many other publicity problems. He said, “That’s one of the SeaWorld traditions in Orlando, being able to…buy the food and feed the dolphins. Now you’re taking away that tradition…so that’s always tough to do. You have what’s called the entitlement effect. The longer something goes on as a tradition, the more negative reaction you get from the customers (when it ends).”
News source: Orlando Sentinel
