When I was about four or five years old, I had the opportunity of visiting my Navy uncle in San Diego and him, plus my parents, brother, and myself, all got to go to SeaWorld. Now at that age, I don’t remember much of the specifics. I do remember seeing a lot of aquarium life and being in awe by it. I also remember being slightly disappointed we weren’t in the splash zone for the killer whale show (during that time they still referred to it as the Shamu show). In all honesty, I was a kid and wanted to be splashed by an orca — because it seemed cool.

Growing up, I’ve always been obsessed with animals. It doesn’t matter if they have scales, fur, feathers, or anything else, for that matter. I love animals. So to me, having the opportunity to visit any place that allowed me to see animals up close or even learn about them a bit was a dream come true. After visiting SeaWorld that day as a child, I always thought they were great and I always dreamed of returning when I got older so I could appreciate it more.

But then in 2013 a documentary titled “Blackfish” came to light. Now as I got older, I started to dislike places like zoos and aquariums a little bit because you could see the quality of the animals’ lives being reduced to absolutely nothing. Me being an animal lover, it didn’t make visiting these places entirely fun because I always felt bad for the animals. But I never hated these places. While not the best conditions for animals, zoos and aquariums are still educational and there are some that do help with the cause of saving and preserving animals.

So when “Blackfish” came out, and stories started circulating about the mistreatment of orcas at SeaWorld and orca Tilikum causing the death of three trainers in the time he had been alive, my immediate thought was that there was absolutely no way a place that loves animals would harm animals. For a few months, I completely ignored the social outrage “Blackfish” was causing. But the more I tried to ignore it, the more I heard about it, and the more I ended up thinking — if I love animals just as much as these people who work with animals do, then why would they lie about the mistreatment of the animals?

I know if I were in the same situation as these trainers and workers, I wouldn’t be able to just sit back and act blind to the things going on. Of course, it became obviously clear that SeaWorld wasn’t completely in the right the more they were put on the hot seat. As more people started to speak up against them, everything they said in return to save their name came out to be an excuse. So I resigned myself to idea that SeaWorld just wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and wasn’t what my childhood self believed it to be.

After all the criticism and backlash received, SeaWorld finally seems to be taking a step in the right direction. They’ve made the announcement that they’ll be ending their killer whale shows, and following that news they’ve also announced that they’ll no longer be breeding any orcas. The rest of the orcas in their care will be put into aquarium habitats that mimic something similar to how they would live in the wild, and they will be used for educational purposes. A bit ironic, since that was supposed to be the whole point to begin with.

However, these announcements also come after the grave news that Tilikum, SeaWorld’s largest and most popular killer whale, is dying. A problem child or not, I can’t help but feel bad for the poor guy considering all the isolation, confinement, and emotional abuse he went through. Part of me wonders if SeaWorld is just kicking the bucket now that their biggest money maker is also on the road to do the same.

Either way, the announcements that SeaWorld will be phasing out their shows and breeding is a win for many animal activists, no matter where the decision stems from. Albeit, the killer whale shows aren’t expected to end completely until around 2019, when they’re supposed to be turned into the aforementioned “natural behavior” shows. While it’s a long process, and most animal activists are happy that a step in the right direction has finally been taken, there are still activists crying out that the orca show phase out should be turned into a definite release plan.

Considering the circumstances in which these whales have grown into adulthood — that doesn’t seem like the healthiest or safest idea. Some of these whales were born and bred into captivity. Setting them free into the wild is just as much of a death sentence as keeping them in captivity is. Even the ones who weren’t born into captivity are at risk of dying if released. There’s no way to know that they recall how to function as wild killer whales and survive on their own, and retraining them to survive in the wild is also out of the question. I’m all for animal freedom and rights, but in this case I don’t necessarily think that SeaWorld not releasing their orcas into the wild still like makes them the bad guy.

What could questionably make them the bad guy, however, is their idea that actually ending their orca shows — whether educational or otherwise — and moving the 24 orcas in their care to sea sanctuaries is more dangerous than keeping them in the tanks they’ve spent their life in. SeaWorld claims they want to change their tank habitats to mimic that which they’d experience in the wild and use them for educational purposes. So, why not actually put them in an area that won’t only mimic what a wild habitat would be like, but actually put them in one that would still offer the captivity benefits of veterinary care and food?

But, of course, that’s apparently too hypocritical of SeaWorld to even consider. Although I suppose I do commend their efforts of attempting to care, stating that their orcas would be “sitting ducks” to pollution and natural diseases in the sea sanctuaries (they call them “sea cages” which I find to be the hypocritical part), although I’m pretty sure that their lifespan would still average out a bit longer than keeping them at the parks if this change were to occur.

Still, one can hold out hope that, even if they’re baby steps in the right direction, bigger steps can be taken. Maybe SeaWorld will see past the money these orcas bring in and instead of just hearing the cries of biologists, veterinarians, and activists actually listen. Sea sanctuaries would be such an improvement on the quality of life for these animals.

Although Tilikum may never have the liberty of experiencing something akin to freedom, I hope that the rest of the orcas are given that chance. I’ll also be one of the people holding out some hope that maybe we won’t have to wait four years, when SeaWorld phases out their shows, to find out the fate of these creatures.