SeaWorld San Antonio is a 250-acre (100 ha) marine mammal park, oceanarium, and animal theme park, located in the Westover Hills area of San Antonio, Texas. It is the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of The Blackstone Group, and the world's largest marine-life theme park. It is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA)^[1] and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).^[2]

History[link]

SeaWorld San Antonio (formerly SeaWorld of Texas) was developed by Harcourt, Brace, and Jovanovich (now Harcourt Trade Publishers). Built for $170 million, it opened on Memorial Day weekend in 1988 and welcomed 75,000 people during the grand opening.^[3] It had 3.3 million visitors in its first 12 months of operation, placing it among the Top 10 attractions in Texas. At the time of the park's debut, it was billed as "the largest educational, marine-life theme park in the world."

In 1989, Harcourt, Brace, and Jovanovich (heavy in debt and fighting a hostile takeover) sold its SeaWorld and Boardwalk and Baseball theme parks to Anheuser-Busch, Inc.^[4] Plans to build a Boardwalk and Baseball park adjacent to SeaWorld of Texas were immediately abandoned.

On 26 November 1988, Kayla (stage named "Baby Shamu") was the first killer whale born at SeaWorld San Antonio.

Under Anheuser-Busch ownership, SeaWorld San Antonio closed less popular attractions such as the Texas Walk, the U.S. Map Plaza, and the Garden of Flags and added its popular Budweiser Clydesdales to the park.

In 2008, Anheuser-Busch merged with InBev; soon after, the newly merged company sold the SeaWorld parks to The Blackstone Group.

Attractions[link]

Roller coasters and thrill rides[link]

• The Great White: The park's first coaster, a B&M inverted roller coaster that debuted in 1997. Top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). Lift height is 108.2 ft. Total track = 2,562 ft.
• Shamu Express
• Steel Eel: Advertised as "the first and only hypercoaster in Texas," it reaches speeds close to 70 mph (110 km/h).
• Journey to Atlantis: The first ride of its kind in North America, it debuted in 2007.
• Rio Loco: A river rapids ride that opened in 1991.
• The Texas Splashdown: Opened in 1991, permanently closed on May 13, 2011.

Sesame Street Bay of Play (kiddie rides)[link]

Formerly Shamu's Happy Harbor, Sesame Street's Bay of Play (opened in March 2011) is an interactive children play area based on the long running television series Sesame Street. The Shamu Express kiddie coaster remains the only unchanged attraction from the old Happy Harbor.

Rides:

• Grover's Roundup (carousel)
• Abby Cadabby's Rocking Wave (rocking unit)
• Big Bird's Spinning Reef (mini Ferris wheel)
• Shamu Express (mini roller coaster)
• Elmo's Dolphin Dive (mini drop unit)

Activities:

• Splish 'n' Splash (water play area)
• Little Bird's Splash (small children's water play area)
• Tot's Ahoy (small children's playground)
• Net Climb
• Playground

Shows:

• Sunny Days (sing and dance with Sesame Street characters)

Dining[link]

• Shamu's Smokehouse (formerly Voyagers)
• Rosita's Cafe (formerly Mango Joe's Cafe Ole)
• Rio Loco Grille (formerly Rio Loco BBQ)
• Azul Treats (formerly The Oasis)
• SeaFire Grille
• Castaway Cafe
• Shamu Soft Serve
• Eats Beach Grill
• SeaStar Market
• Snack Attack
• Polar Parlor
• Seaside Coffee
• Sweet Treats Bakery

Shows and exhibits[link]

Park Entrance

Shows[link]

• One Ocean (Shamu Stadium): A new show featuring interaction with whale trainers at the park's Shamu Theater.
• The Cannery Row Caper (Seal and Sea Lion Stadium): A comical "Who done it?" featuring sea lions Clyde and Seamore, who attempt to unravel the mystery of disappearing fish in a nearby cannery. Located at the park's Sea Lion Stadium, this show also features animals Walrus and Otter.
• Cool Vibrations (Ski Stadium): A live-action boat and water-skiing stunt show that runs throughout the park's summer months; formerly called Rockin' Ski Party prior to the park's 2009 season.
• Azul, Lure of the Sea (Beluga Stadium): This show features professional high divers, aerialists, and synchronized swimmers performing with Pacific white-sided dolphins and beluga whales.
• Lights, Camera, Imagination! 4-D (SeaStar Theatre): Combines the latest 4-D special effects technology with multi-sensory theater effects. Guests will experience sprays of water and other surprises during their experience with Sesame Street.

Exhibits[link]

Basking sea lions

• Aviary Habitats: Guests can view a variety of birds from pink flamingo, ducks and geese, among other birds from throughout the Americas.
• Animal Connection Conservation Center: Get close to various types of animals along with Animal Ambassadors.
• Dolphin Cove
  Main article: Dolphin Cove (Seaworld)
  - The popular Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are on exhibit here. SeaWorld staff educates the public on their behaviors and lifestyle. Guests can interact with the dolphins and purchase fish to feed the animals.
• Penguin Encounter: Visitors step into the Antarctic wilderness on a moving walkway and view over 200 penguins in a variety of species. There are additional exhibits where one can read about the penguins and view other aquatic birds.
• Seal & Sea Lion Community: a variety of seals, sea lions, walruses and otters can be found here. Everyone will be delighted to see the seals bask in the warm sunlight, the sea lions swimming in the cool water, and the otters just doing what they do.
• Sharks/The Coral Reef: Guests can view some of the world's most exotic and fiercest sea creatures. Some animals that are found here include sting rays, eels, tropical fish, and a variety of sharks.
• Alligator Alley: American alligators lounging around Ski Lake.
• Flamingo Cove: Visitors can stop by and see flamingos by Shamu Stadium.

Entertainment[link]

• Boardwalk Games Center: A game center combined with the exit of the Great White roller coaster that features midway games and a video arcade.
• Sea Star Theater: A 4D theater featuring Lights, Camera, Imagination! and Haunted Lighthouse (Summer Nights). Pirates 4-D closed in 2011.

Animal inventory[link]

Killer whale[link]

SeaWorld's main attraction is its killer whales, which are housed in 7-million-gallon habitats that are each known as Shamu Theater. Shamu was the name of the first killer whale brought to SeaWorld San Diego in the 1960s. "Shamu" is now used as a stage name for adult killer whales in performances at SeaWorld parks. The killer whales all have real names.

The killer whales at San Antonio are Takara, Sakari (Takara's calf),^[5] Kyuquot, Unna, and Tuar.

Dolphins[link]

The bottlenose Dolphins at San Antonio are Ansley, Alice, Brady, Brie, Cisco, Donley, Fathom, Gilly, Hacksaw, Kai, Mattie, Nacha, Neelee, Nikki, Notchfin, Nueces, Osbourne, Ping, Puka, Punta, Scotia, and Yoyo.

Belugas[link]

The belugas at San Antonio are Natasha, Crissy, Bella, Martha, Oliver, Luna, Atla, and the most recent, Imaq

On April 17,^[when?] Imaq, the adult male beluga from Vancouver Aquarium, secretly arrived to Sea World San Antonio on a 5-year breeding loan. This is the 3rd of three beluga whales on a breeding loan from Vancouver Aquarium to SeaWorld: Nanuq, Allua, Imaq.

Luna gave birth to a healthy female beluga calf on June 23, 2010. Sea World San Antonio had a naming contest to name Bella, and Luna's calf has been named Atla, which means "unique" in the Inuit language of Inuktitut.

In 2009, Nico, Maris, and Natasha from the Georgia Aquarium were moved to SeaWorld temporarily to keep them away from the worst of the noise during construction at the Georgia Aquarium.^[6] Nico died on 31 October 2009. A preliminary necropsy was unable to determine if Nico's death was caused by the move or by something else.^[7] On 3 March 2010, Maris and a new male, Beethoven, were returned to the Georgia Aquarium while Natasha was paired with a potential mate and remained in San Antonio.^[8]

Lost Lagoon[link]

Lost Lagoon is a water park that was added to SeaWorld in 1993. It closed September 5, 2011 and is scheduled to be replaced by Aquatica San Antonio, a separate gated water park based on the original Aquatica Orlando that opened on March 1, 2008. Some of popular water attractions like The Sidewinders tower (with 4 tube slides and 2 large bowl slides) will be re-themed, painted and renamed to Tassie's Twister. The splash attack play structure will be staying but it will be renovated with new theming, new slides, new interactive elements, new landscaping, and new zero-entry pool and will be named Walkabout Waters. The activity pool will stay but will also be renovated with new theming, new interactive elements, new pool updates, new landscaping, new beach lounge chairs, inviting waterfalls and a renaming. Those four existing water attractions will be kept during the Aqautica San Antonio re-theming. The new expansion is scheduled to be open by Memorial Day weekend May 2012.^[9][10]

• Activity Pool
• Buckaroo Mountain
• Castaway Cruisin'
• Lil' Gators Lagoon
• Sidewinders
• Sky Tubin'
• Splash Attack
• Wave Wash Pool

SeaWorld San Antonio Summer Nights[link]

Summer Nights offers entertainment during the night hours. Shows offered include the following: Shamu Rocks Texas—Not only just Shamu, but also today's hit music during the show similar to the Believe show; Sea Lions Tonight—Where guests join these pranksters' spoof about the day's shows; R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse 4D, a 4-D movie that takes place in Sea Star Theater; and Pirates Plunder, where guests will join the ship's captain and his crew as the captain battles for his bride and ship against his nemesis, Captain Le Foe, in a play-like setting in Nautilus Amphitheater.

Howl-O-Scream[link]

Howl-O-Scream is an annual Halloween event that takes place at SeaWorld San Antonio. This year's event features the character Jack O'Lantern as the main icon, who is also featured at the event in Busch Gardens.^[11]

References[link]

External links[link]

Texas portal

• Media related to SeaWorld San Antonio at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• SeaWorld Main Website

SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando, Florida, San Diego, California, San Antonio, Texas, and previously Aurora, Ohio. On March 5, 2007, SeaWorld Orlando announced addition of the Aquatica water park to its adventure park family, which already includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove.^[3] On February 28, 2008, Busch Entertainment announced plans to open a fourth SeaWorld park in Dubai, UAE,^[4] but these plans have been shelved for now due to the international credit freeze.^[5]

SeaWorld parks also feature a variety of thrill rides, including roller coasters like Kraken and Manta at SeaWorld Orlando and Steel Eel and The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio. Journey to Atlantis, a combination roller coaster and splashdown ride, can be found at all three US parks. The parks were owned by Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch, which is best known for brewing beer. In November, 2009, Busch Entertainment was sold to the Blackstone Group and subsequently renamed SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.

One of the biggest attractions is the Shark Encounter, in which guests are carried through a submerged acrylic tube into the sharks' tank. Another famous ride is Wild Arctic, simulating a helicopter ride to the Arctic. After the ride, the guests arrive at a simulated base station, where they can observe polar bears, Pacific walruses, and beluga whales. During the Christmas holiday season, SeaWorld Orlando's Wild Arctic is transformed into the Polar Express Experience which offers the park's guests the opportunity to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole and meet Santa Claus in addition to the polar bears, Pacific walruses, and beluga whales that are at the Wild Arctic exhibit year round. Another attraction is the Penguin Encounter, showcasing a variety of penguins. In addition, an attraction features endangered Florida manatees. The park has an extensive playground for children, named Shamu’s Happy Harbor, formerly known as Cap'n Kids World.^[6] (Although SeaWorld San Diego has Sesame Street Bay of Play which showcases Sesame Street characters.)

SeaWorld recently created the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. Sea World is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, meaning they have met and exceeded the standards in Education, Conservation and Research.^[vague]

Kasatka, one of SeaWorld San Diego's seven killer whales, performs during a routine Shamu Adventure show.

History[link]

Trainer "surfing" on top of Katina, a killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando.

Marble, Porter, Jensen, Starbuck, Baretta, and Clyde performing in Blue Horizons at SeaWorld Orlando.

Milton C. Shedd, Ken Norris, David Demott, and George Millay brought SeaWorld to life, yet that was not the initial idea. The four graduates of UCLA originally set out to build an underwater restaurant and marine life show.^[7] When the underwater restaurant concept was deemed unfeasible, they scrapped those plans and decided to build a park instead, and SeaWorld San Diego was opened on March 21, 1964.^[8] With only a few dolphins, sea lions, 6 attractions and 22 acres (89,000 m²), the park proved to be a success and more than 400,000 guests visited in the first 12 months.

After considering other locations in the midwest, including the Lake Milton/Newton Falls area west of Youngstown, Ohio, it was decided that Aurora, Ohio would be the new home of a SeaWorld. The Aurora site was approximately 15 miles (24 km) northwest of the Lake Milton site, and 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Cleveland.^[9] By this time the founders of the company had captured a few more species of animals including a killer whale that would call the new facility home. The Ohio site would prove to be difficult to maintain. The harsh winter climate permitted the park to be open only from mid-May until mid-September. However, the vast population of the Midwest and Northeastern states lived within a day's drive of the park, which would eventually add to the success of SeaWorld of Ohio.

The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida opened near the end of the second operating season of SeaWorld of Ohio. The success of Disney in Orlando provided another ideal spot to capitalize on the mass number of tourists that would make their way to central Florida for vacations. Since opening day in 1973, SeaWorld Orlando has thrived in a place known as 'the theme park mecca of the world'.

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. (HBJ) purchased the company in 1976 and 12 years later they ventured deep into the heart of Texas. In 1988, SeaWorld San Antonio opened just a few miles outside of San Antonio.^[10] Growth has pushed the city outwards, and now SeaWorld San Antonio lies in the Westover Hills community in West San Antonio. The park was open year-round like its sister parks in California and Florida in 1988 and 1989, then went to a seasonal schedule. The stress and financial resources it took to build and maintain a state-of-the-art marine mammal facility in the late '80s eventually took its toll on the company. HBJ, whose primary focus was producing school books, needed to reduce its assets in order to avoid a bankruptcy.

The Anheuser-Busch Company made an offer to purchase the SeaWorld parks. However, HBJ also owned and operated two other parks, Cypress Gardens and Boardwalk and Baseball, and out of fear of not being able to find a buyer for the two other parks, HBJ refused to sell the parks individually. Despite a long negotiation, Anheuser-Busch bought all six parks in 1989: SeaWorld in San Diego, Aurora, Orlando and San Antonio as well as Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven and Boardwalk and Baseball in Haines City. Soon after the sale was final, Busch sold Cypress Gardens to the park's management and closed Boardwalk and Baseball.^[11] Anheuser-Busch put millions of dollars back into the parks to revive and to prolong their longevity.

Marketing[link]

One of the Southwest aircraft painted with a Shamu livery

Southwest Airlines has three Boeing 737 aircraft painted to look like Shamu ^[12] as an advertisement for SeaWorld.

Locations[link]

SeaWorld San Diego[link]

SeaWorld San Diego, the first SeaWorld park, opened on March 21, 1964. The park features shows such as One Ocean, the current Shamu show and Sea Lions Live, a comedic show with sea lions and otters. Rides include Journey to Atlantis, a splashdown ride that also has characteristics of a roller coaster. The Summer Nights program changes some shows and adds others. One show featuring Shamu is available during the night called Shamu Rocks, a rock concert choreographed to the killer whales, and then the fireworks show Into the Blue, which uses music from the newest dolphin show Blue Horizons.^[13]

SeaWorld Orlando[link]

SeaWorld Orlando opened on December 15, 1973, and had crowds topping 5,300 on its opening day.^[14] One Ocean, a new Shamu show which premiered April 22, 2011, is hosted here, along with Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island, an adventure with two sea lions, and Blue Horizons, the park's dolphin show. The park contains three roller coasters: Kraken, a floorless coaster based on the mythical sea creature, Manta, a coaster designed to simulate how manta rays move, and the Shamu Express, a coaster oriented to kids located in Shamu's Happy Harbor. It is also home to the original Journey to Atlantis water coaster. SeaWorld After Dark is SeaWorld Orlando's night program, featuring the fireworks show Reflections, a sea lions show Sea Lions Tonite and Shamu show Shamu Rocks.^[15]

SeaWorld San Antonio[link]

SeaWorld San Antonio opened on May 27, 1988.^[10] Its formal opening over Memorial Day Weekend 1988 held about 75,000 people.^[16] 3.3 million people visited SeaWorld San Antonio during its first year, 10% more than what was originally projected.^[17] The park shows One Ocean, the new Shamu show; Azul, a one-of-a-kind show combining diving, synchronized swimming, dolphins and beluga whales; and The Cannery Row Caper, a sea lion show following the sea lions Clyde and Seamore solving a mystery. Parks rides include The Great White, an inverted roller coaster, Steel Eel, a roller coaster reaching a height of 150 feet,^[18] and Journey to Atlantis, a water roller coaster into the mythical land of Atlantis.

SeaWorld Ohio sale, re-birth, and eventual transition[link]

In February 2001, Anheuser-Busch sold the SeaWorld Ohio park to Six Flags, Inc., operators of neighboring "Six Flags Ohio" (Geauga Lake until the end of 1999, reverting to the "Geauga Lake" name in 2004). Upon completion of the sale, the two parks were combined in spring 2001 as the so-called "mega-park" "Six Flags Worlds Of Adventure", which boasted its "Three parks in one" uniqueness: a waterpark, an amusement park, and a wildlife animal park - all included in one price of admission. Sea World executives replied that their park had been sold because of the short season of the animal park, because of Northeastern Ohio's cold winter months, and also because they were not able to get the rights to build roller coasters like the other Sea World properties had been able to.

In March 2004, Six Flags, Inc., announced that it had sold "Six Flags Worlds of Adventure" to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, the operators of the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Cedar Fair took the park back to its original "Geauga Lake" name, which had a history dating back to 1888. Since the Six Flags company retained ownership of the animals, the majority of the animal portion of the park, including all of the exhibits and animal stadiums, was either emptied or fenced off for the 2004 season.

After a nearly season-long wait, the Cedar Fair company announced its plans for the non-operational side of the former Sea World Ohio/Six Flags Worlds of Adventure-Wildlife Side. That entire portion of the land would become an immense waterpark, named "Wildwater Kingdom", opening in two phases, with the first phase in 2005, followed by the second phase in 2006. This decision marked the end of the marine-life park permanently.

All of the animal stadiums and buildings were next torn down or converted into other venues. Some of the SeaWorld property remained intact, albeit hidden or modified. What remained included the former seal and sea lion area, the Ski Stadium (to be used in a Lumberjack show in 2006), the Aquarium (to be used for unknown purposes), and two movie theater houses/simulators, once housing 3D/4D movies. The Ski Stadium was removed in off-season 2008 to make way for "Coconut Cove", a refreshment station/observation area.

All of these except for the "Wildwater Kingdom" closed permanently in 2007.

SeaWorld Dubai[link]

Busch and UAE-based developer Nakheel had planned to together build a SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove and Aquatica water park on a man-made island in Dubai. The parks would be built on The Palm Jebel Ali, part of Dubai's ambitious "Palm Islands" complex. The first phase of the project was projected to open in 2012. The Worlds of Discovery resort on the Palm Jebel Ali would include hotels, spas, shops and restaurants. The project was put on hold in February 2009 however due to the global economic downturn, but may be resumed once the economic situation improves.^[19]

Animals at SeaWorld[link]

Takara demonstrating a breaching move during the Believe show at SeaWorld Orlando.

SeaWorld's main attraction is its killer whales, several of which are housed in 7-million-gallon habitats that are each known as Shamu Stadium. Shamu was the name of the first killer whale brought to SeaWorld San Diego in the 1960s from the Seattle Marine Aquarium. 'Shamu' is now used as a stage name for adult killer whales in performances at SeaWorld parks. The killer whales all have real names. Currently, Sea World houses 20 killer whales in its three parks.

• Eight killer whales live at Seaworld San Diego: Corky, Kasatka, Ulises, Orkid, Nakai, Ikaika, Kalia and Keet
• Seven killer whales live at SeaWorld Orlando: Katina, Tilikum, Kayla, Trua, Nalani, Makaio and Malia.
• Five killer whales live at SeaWorld San Antonio: Kyuquot, ', Unna, Takara, Sakari,^[20] and Tuar.

Lists of other animals that can be found at each SeaWorld park can be found on each park's individual pages (SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Antonio).

Criticism[link]

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (March 2010)

Captivity and treatment issues[link]

Organizations such as the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society campaign against the captivity of dolphins and killer whales; SeaWorld, which holds most of the world's captive killer whales, is cited for its role. Killer whales are believed to have a shorter lifespan in captivity than in the wild; however, recent studies have shown that the average age of killer whales in captivity has extended due to better care.^{[21][dead link]}

While different types of killer whales are held in captivity, only a pre-killed fish-based diet is offered to them. Wild killer whales, depending on where they live and if they are resident, transient, or offshore subtypes, eat a huge variety of sealife. Their food can include a selection of the following: thirty different species of fish, sharks, squid, seals, sea lions, walruses, sea otters, birds, and other species of whales.

Aggression in captivity is also not uncommon. In August 1989, a dominant female killer whale, Kandu V, tried to rake a newcomer killer whale, Corky II, with her mouth during a live show.^[22] Corky II had been imported from Marineland California just months prior to the incident. According to reports, when Kandu V tried to rake Corky II, she missed, and as a result swam into a wall. It is reported^{[citation needed]} that a loud smack was heard across the stadium. Although trainers tried to keep the show rolling, the blow severed an artery near Kandu V's jaw, and she began spouting blood. The crowd was quickly ushered out, and after a 45-minute hemorrhage, Kandu V died. In February 2010, an experienced female trainer at Sea World Orlando was killed by killer whale Tilikum shortly after a lunchtime presentation in Shamu Stadium.^[23][24]

SeaWorld's attempt to capture several killer whales in Puget Sound in the early 1970s using powerboats, airplanes and explosives to drive the animals resulted in the capture permit being revoked.^[25][26] The animals are now obtained through breeding including artificial insemination, loans, and purchases from other marine parks around the world.

PETA offered to buy a SeaWorld park as a publicity stunt in 2008 so that the animals could be released and replaced with virtual ones. Beer company Anheuser-Busch, which was in control of the SeaWorld franchise did not offer a press response to the offer.^[27][28]

In 2011, PETA filed a lawsuit in US federal court, alleging that SeaWorld violated the US Constitution by treating captive orcas "like slaves." On 6 February 2012, in response to a motion by SeaWorld to dismiss the suit, US District Judge Jeffrey Miller heard oral arguments by PETA and SeaWorld on whether animals enjoy the constitutional protection against slavery that humans do. It was the first time in US history in which an attempt was made to extend constitutional protections to animals.^[29] Judge Miller dismissed the case with prejudice two days later, stating that since the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and indentured servitude, which he termed "uniquely human activities", the amendment was not intended to protect "non-humans".^[30]

Alleged drive hunt captures[link]

In response to criticism leveled at SeaWorld and other marine parks by the award-winning documentary film The Cove which accuses them of obtaining dolphins obtained in drive hunts, SeaWorld spokesperson Fred Jacobs stated that, "We think we're being unfairly criticized for something we're opposed to." ^[31] He adds that, "SeaWorld opposes the dolphin hunts documented in The Cove. We do not purchase any animals from these hunts. More than 80 percent of the marine mammals in our care were born in our parks. We haven't collected a dolphin from the wild in decades." ^[32] Since 1993 there have been no permits issued to facilities in the United States to import dolphins acquired through drive hunt methods.^[33] Marilee Menard, the executive director of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, has also stated that she believes that The Cove filmmakers are "misrepresenting that the majority of zoos and aquariums with dolphins around the world are taking these animals." ^[31]

See also[link]

• Incidents at SeaWorld parks

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: SeaWorld

• Google Maps satellite view of SeaWorld San Diego
• USA Today Q&A with trainer Julie Scardina
• Official SeaWorld Parks site
• Shamu

Coordinates: 32°45′57″N 117°13′35″W / 32.7657°N 117.2263°W / 32.7657; -117.2263

City of San Antonio
—  City  —
Flag of City of San Antonio Flag Official seal of City of San Antonio Seal
Nickname(s): River City, San Antone, Alamo City, Military City USA, Countdown City
Location in Bexar county in the state of Texas
City of San Antonio Location in the United States
Coordinates: 29°25′N 98°30′W / 29.417°N 98.5°W / 29.417; -98.5
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Bexar, Medina, Comal
Foundation	1691
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City Council	Mayor Julian Castro[1] Diego M. Bernal Ivy R. Taylor Jennifer V. Ramos Rey Saldaña David Medina, Jr. Ray Lopez Cris Medina W. Reed Williams Elisa Chan Carlton Soules
• City Manager	Sheryl Sculley
Area
• City	412.1 sq mi (1,067.3 km2)
• Land	407.6 sq mi (1,055.7 km2)
• Water	4.5 sq mi (11.7 km2)
Elevation	650 ft (198 m)
Population (2010)
• City	1,327,407 (7th)
• Density	3,400.9/sq mi (1,313.1/km2)
• Metro	2,194,927 (24th)
• Demonym	San Antonian
Time zone	CST (UTC–6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC–5)
Area code(s)	210(majority), 830(portions)
Website	www.sanantonio.gov

San Antonio ( /ˌsænænˈtoʊni.oʊ/) is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.3 million.^[2] It was the fastest growing of the top 10 largest cities in the United States from 2000-2010, and the second from 1990-2000.^[3][4] Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. San Antonio has characteristics of other western urban centers in which there are sparsely populated areas and a low density rate outside of the city limits. The city is one of the two principal municipalities of the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area, the other being New Braunfels. Commonly referred to as Greater San Antonio, the metropolitan area has a population of 2.2 million based on the 2011 U.S. Census estimate, making it the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the United States and third-largest in the state of Texas.

The city was named for San Antonio de Padua, whose feast day is on June 13, when a Spanish expedition stopped in the area in 1691. Famous for Spanish missions, the Alamo, the River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, the Alamo Bowl, Marriage Island and host to SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme parks, the city is visited by approximately 26 million tourists per year according to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau. The city is home to the four-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, one of the largest in the country.

San Antonio has a strong military presence—it is home to Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base, and Brooks City-Base, with Camp Bullis and Camp Stanley outside the city. Kelly Air Force Base operated out of San Antonio until 2001, when the airfield was transferred over to Lackland AFB and the remaining portions of the base became Port San Antonio, an industrial/business park. San Antonio is home to five Fortune 500 companies and the South Texas Medical Center, the only medical research and care provider in the South Texas region.

History[link]

Lithograph of San Antonio in 1886.

Native Americans originally lived near the San Antonio River Valley, in the San Pedro Springs area, calling the vicinity Yanaguana, meaning "refreshing waters". In 1691, a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon the river and Native American settlement on June 13, the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, and named the place and river "San Antonio" in his honor.^[5]

Early Spanish settlement of San Antonio began with the Martin de Alarcon expedition and the establishment of the San Antonio de Valero Mission (now the Alamo) as a means to reassert Spanish dominance over Texas from the nearby French in Louisiana. The viceroy, at the instigation of Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, made the suppression of illicit trade from Louisiana a primary objective. He also pledged support for the Franciscan missions in Texas. Father Olivares had earlier made a visit to a site on the San Antonio River in 1709, and from that time forward he was determined to found a mission and civilian settlement there. The viceroy gave formal approval for a halfway mission and presidio in late 1716, and assigned responsibility for their establishment to Martin de Alarcón, the governor of Coahuila and Texas. A series of delays, however, occasioned in part by differences between Alarcón and Olivares, postponed definitive action until 1718.^[6] The families clustered around the presidio and mission formed the beginnings of Villa de Béjar, destined to become the most important town in Spanish Texas.^[7] On May 1, on the San Antonio River, the governor founded Mission San Antonio de Valero (later famous as the Alamo), and on May 5, 1718 established the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar ("Béjar" in modern Spanish orthography) on the west side of the San Antonio River one-fourth league from the San Antonio de Valero Mission.^[6]

On February 14, 1719, the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo made a report to the king of Spain proposing that 400 families be transported from the Canary Islands, Galicia, or Havana to populate the province of Texas. His plan was approved, and notice was given the Canary Islanders (isleños) to furnish 200 families; the Council of the Indies suggested that 400 families should be sent from the Canaries to Texas by way of Havana and Veracruz. By June 1730, 25 families had reached Cuba and 10 families had been sent on to Veracruz before orders from Spain to stop the movement arrived. Under the leadership of Juan Leal Goraz, the group marched overland to the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, where they arrived on March 9, 1731. The party had increased by marriages on the way to 15 families, a total of 56 persons. They joined a military community that had been in existence since 1718. The immigrants formed the nucleus of the villa of San Fernando de Béxar, the first regularly organized civil government in Texas. Several of the old families of San Antonio trace their descent from the Canary Island colonists. María Rosa Padrón was the first baby born of Canary Islander descent in San Antonio.^[8]

Memorial to the Alamo defenders

San Antonio grew to become the largest Spanish settlement in Texas, and for most of its history, the capital of the Spanish, later Mexican, province of Tejas. From San Antonio, the Camino Real, today Nacogdoches Road in San Antonio, ran to the American border at the small frontier town of Nacogdoches. When Antonio López de Santa Anna unilaterally rescinded the Mexican Constitution of 1824, violence ensued in many states of Mexico. In a series of battles, the Texian Army succeeded in forcing Mexican soldiers out of the settlement areas east of San Antonio. Under the leadership of Ben Milam, in the Battle of Bexar, December, 1835, Texian forces captured San Antonio from forces commanded by General Martin Perfecto de Cos, Santa Anna's brother-in-law. In the spring of 1836, Santa Anna marched on San Antonio. A volunteer force under the command of James C. Neill occupied and fortified the deserted mission. Upon his departure, the joint command of William Barrett Travis and James Bowie were left in charge of defending the old mission. The Battle of the Alamo took place from February 23 to March 6, 1836. The outnumbered Texian force was ultimately defeated, with all of the Alamo defenders killed. These men were seen as "martyrs" for the cause of Texas freedom and "Remember the Alamo" became a rallying cry in the Texian Army's eventual success at defeating Santa Anna's army.^[9]

Juan Seguín, who organized the company of Tejano patriots, who fought and died for Texas independence at the Battle of the Alamo, fought at the Battle of Concepcion, Siege of Bexar, and the Battle of San Jacinto, and served as mayor of San Antonio. He was forced out of that office, due to threats on his life, by sectarian newcomers and political opponents in 1842, becoming the last Tejano mayor for nearly 150 years.^[10]

In 1845, the United States finally decided to annex Texas and include it as a state in the Union. This led to the Mexican-American War. Though the U.S. ultimately won, the war was devastating to San Antonio, and, at its end, the population of the city had been reduced by almost two-thirds, to only 800 inhabitants.^[11] By 1860, at the start of the Civil War, San Antonio had grown to a city of 15,000 people.

Following the Civil War, San Antonio prospered as a center of the cattle industry. During this period, it remained a frontier city, but its mixture of cultures also gave it a reputation as being beautiful and exotic. Frederick Law Olmstead, the architect who designed Central Park in New York City, once described San Antonio as having a "jumble of races, costumes, languages, and buildings," which gave it a quality which only New Orleans could rival in, "odd and antiquated foreignness."^[12]

In 1877, the first railroad reached San Antonio and the city was no longer on the frontier, but began to enter the mainstream of American society. At the beginning of the 20th century, the streets of downtown were widened to accommodate street cars and modern traffic, destroying many historic buildings in the process.^[13]

Like many municipalities in the American Southwest, San Antonio experiences steady population growth. The city's population has nearly doubled in 35 years, from just over 650,000 in the 1970 census to an estimated 1.2 million in 2005 through both steady population growth and land annexation (considerably enlarging the physical area of the city).^{[citation needed]} In 1990, the Census Bureau reported San Antonio's population as 55.6% Hispanic, 7% black, and 36.2% non-Hispanic white.^[14]

Geography[link]