I want to turn this to another possible perspective for a bit. Nobody knows what SeaWorld is aware of. They could know something we don't. PETA has been known to implement radical action including- bombing factories/animal labs,euthanasia,spies, etc. SeaWorld in particular has had numerous threats of illegal activity. I think SeaWorld had/has every reason to be worried in light of this.
I'm not saying what they did was right, or "ethical". However, I think this is all irrelevant if anyone/thing was potentially in danger. The fact is, they got caught. That is never flattering, even when it happens to our own country.
However, I'm sure they could have found another way around this. I'm confident that they will continue to look for ways to ensure their safety, even if it involves our government. Besides, they mentioned that they are implementing new safety measures in their conference call, via an outside source (who's name I didn't catch). I hope that it's just that- safety.