Hong Kong Theme Park Ends Dolphin Shows As Protests Hit Revenue

Suffering through what has been described as an "unprecedented steep decline" of 30 percent during the unrest in Hong Kong, a struggling theme park is ending its controversial show featuring sea lions and dolphins.

Leo Kung, the chairman of Ocean Park, said, "Under the new plan, the Ocean Wonder show will cease.” The park is planning to replace the show with "underwater viewing opportunities.”

The park also said that it would continue to allow guests to feed and pose with the animals for a fee and even allow them to hug a dolphin. That statement drew the ire of animal rights groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, the Born Free Foundation, and a Hong Kong non-profit organization called Animal Rights Education.

Ocean Park is located on the southern edge of Hong Kong Island, some distance away from the city’s financial district. The theme park has many attractions including roller coasters and other rides, family and children’s areas, and other shows featuring animals like pandas, birds, reptiles and one attraction called Animals in Australia.

Several times a day the Ocean Theatre would fill up for the Ocean Wonders show featuring jumping and spinning dolphins and clapping sea lions. According to the park's annual report, it has 7,600 animals including 63 marine mammals, 59 terrestrial mammals, 454 birds, and other animals.

The “end game” for animal rights activists is to end any captivity and return the animals to their natural environments. They are especially critical of the shows and dolphin-petting activities.

The Hong Kong-based non-profit Animal Rights Education approved of the move to end the show but urged the park to gradually end marine animal captivity via a Facebook post.

The Born Free Foundation used its website to state that dolphins suffer physically and mentally from life in captivity and that physical interactions with the public are "highly stressful" for the animals.

PETA, known to be quite radical in its campaigns, said, "Ocean Park's decision to end its dolphin shows but to keep the animals as a tourist gimmick is a missed ethical and financial opportunity." Jason Baker, vice president of PETA, made the statement.

Hong Kong's government is planning to help the park with a large cash injection to add 26 new rides and transfer the park into a more adventure-themed attraction. It is not known if the performing dolphins and sea lions themselves prefer “captivity” in a place committed to their conservation or if they wish to cope on their own in the open waters.