SeaWorld's credit rating has been cut to junk status.
Standard and Poor's cut the theme park's corporate credit rating Thursday, one day after the company reported lower-than-expected earnings.
A credit analyst for the Wall Street rating company blames downgrade in part due to "negative media reports that have specifically targeted the company's use of orca whales for entertainment purposes."
That criticism has grown since the release of the documentary "Blackfish" which accuses the theme park of mistreating its killer whales.
The credit rating cut sent SeaWorld shares plummeting to a one-year low on Wall Street. At the close of trading Thursday, SeaWorld Entertainment Incorporated's shares were down nearly 5 percent to $18 a share.
We reached out to SeaWorld for a comment after the market closed, and are waiting to hear back.