How Does SeaWorld Transport Animals?
Utmost Care Many of the whales, dolphins and other animals that visitors marvel at in SeaWorld’s popular parks weren’t born there. Some came from other zoos and marine facilities, and others were rescued in the wild. Moving these animals requires extraordinary care and plenty of planning. It also frequently involves the use of chartered planes, specially equipped vans and an occasional crane. Case studies The following examples show how SeaWorld’s transportion of animals can be a complicated endeavor: • SeaWorld Orlando and its sister park in San Antonio recently chartered planes to fly four young killer whales to a zoological park in the Canary Islands. During the flights, the whales were secured in reinforced canvas slings inside watertight transport containers lined with foam. • SeaWorld San Diego used a truck, a crane, a US Coast Guard cutter and an extra-large sling to move J.J., a 31-foot gray whale weighing 19,200 pounds — the largest mammal ever transported. J.J., who had been
