Miami Seaquarium, Miami FL – Lolita’s Story

To whom it may concern,
This letter is on behalf of Lolita the orca whale that’s in an illegal tank. I think she should be free. I do care about her. No whale should live in appalling circumstances as Lolita. I’ve been talking to a lady who is an activist who is trying to get Lolita out of that tiny tank. I met her via the Orca Network. I’m glad that I met her. It’s nice to talk to somebody who is passionate about whales like me. I wrote a letter to Arthur Hurtz a long tome ago but he didn’t respond. He knows he’s in the wrong for having Lolita there. Marian

This is another example of the contempt shown to other animals by their human cousins. This enclosure is clearly unsuitable for this poor orca living a life more than miserable. It would be great if it could be re-introduced to its own kind in the wild. I am surprised that America does not have better animal protection laws. There is obviously much work to be done in this area. It must be made illegal there is nnot a tank large enough to keep these beautiful creatures including dolphines. Liberate them Now.

Please free Lolita, nobody likes to be kept captive so why should you keep this poor orca or any other animal for that matter in captivity. Tanks are not made for these beautiful creatures, the oceans were made for them, liberate them, have a heart.

Better still, boycott Miami Seaquarium and shut it down. Remember the Miami Serpentarium? A five year old boy fell into one of the snake pits and was eaten by a crocodile before owner/showman/pseudo-scientist Bill Haust shot it. I hope this place goes out of business the other S.Florida kitchy anachronisms have gone.

Although I am guilty of attending the Seaquarium with my 3 year old daughter and going to Lolita’s show, my heart breaks for her and I tear up every time. Please give this majestic creature and all the other beautiful animals the habitats they deserve.

Please retire Lolita, the Orca, to a bay pen in her native waters off the coast of Washington State per the aim of the Save Lolita Organization. Hopefully, she can be returned to the wild after rehabilitation. However, even if she can’t leave this pen, at least she will be properly cared for in a natural environment for her remaining days. Cement pens are no environment for wild animals. Please do the right thing to protect the sea life that you claim to cherish.

Please retire Lolita, and send her to where she belongs, it is very sad to see Lolita in such poor conditions, its inhuman and it is cruel.

Poor Lolita… I just hope she can see her family again, one day

I hope I can give Fred some background science and history that can give him a new sense of Lolita’s abilities and needs. Science, history and logic are seldom enough to counteract deeply held opinions and innacurate information, but it’s worth a try, if only for the public record.
The main questionable point is the assumption that the tank in Miami is “all she has known.” Besides pointing out the inability of any human, with their 3.5 pound brain, to declare what’s going on with the thoughts, feelings and memories of an orca, with their 16 pound brains, it’s important to know that in Lolita’s family, the Southern Resident orcas, family bonds are never broken throughout life. The ability to catch wild fish is also never lost. Lolita was around 4 or 5 years old at the time of her capture. In 2002, in a bizarre coincidence, two unrelated orca calves under 2 years old were found completely separated from their families and alone. Both were successfully catching their fill of fish, indicating Lolita had certainly learned the skill before she was captured. Keiko, for example, caught live fish as soon as he was given the opportunity, both in Oregon and in Iceland.
The most compelling evidence that Lolita hasn’t forgotten where she came from and how to live there is the fact that she still uses the calls that only her matrilineal family, the L25 subpod, use to communicate. Her probable mother, L25, called Ocean Sun, is still alive.
There are many misconceptions about Keiko in circulation. The main reason he didn’t survive is that he was never returned to his immediate family because the project managers didn’t understand the need to do so, so he was unable to bond with the wild orcas he met up with. Lolita’s family has been present at the location of her proposed bay pen every summer for the past 33 years since studies began. It’s important to know that orcas are probably the most socially bonded mammals known to science. Keeping Lolita alone in that tank is an unethical tragedy that no amount of frozen fish or medical treatment can fix.
I do agree that we should all try to protect and restore any endangered animals.

I live in Australia. Having watched this video clip I find myself crying with sadness. How lonely must Lolita be.

Why are humans so cruel to other species with whom we share this planet. It would indeed be a sad earth without other creatures however they should be allowed to live in their own environment.

Set her free please.

I have watched the video of Lolita the Orca and find myself shaking my head in disbelief that humans, for the sake of money and entertainment, can be so cruel as to allow this kind of suffering be inflicted on such a beautiful animal.

For the sake of humanity, please allow Lolita to spend the rest of her life, what is left of it, before she too, succumbs as her predecessors, and release her to her natural habitat, the wide ocean, where she belongs. No animal should be so alone as she has been for so many years. Her time to be released from her ‘prison’ is far overdue. She has done enough time, much to the pleasure of so many. It is her turn now for freedom and happiness.

Ingrid Vass
Australia

Dear Howard, you have a vast knowledge and I thank you for your comments about Lolita and her family.

We can only pray and plead that this knowledge you and so many others who want to see Lolita set free, is read and absorbed by those who continue to destroy her life by keeping her captive! Those days of keeping animals in such horrible small cages and pens for human entertainment have long gone from our Western world, and last time I looked, Washington was an educated, up to date part of the world! Or so we are lead to believe, so wake up you moron’s and get with the program! SET LOLITA FREE!

Vicki Lloyd-Smith

This was the first article, which led to a local TV documentary, which led to Dateline NBC, etc.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19941023&slug=1937350

This story about Lolita breaks my heart, and watching videos of her brings feelings of pure sadness. I don’t see how the government isn’t stepping in, when her tank is only 13ft longer then her own length, and is ILLEGAL!!. Actions can be taken to help Lolita, even if owners believe it isn’t in her best interest to be returned to her native waters. Ultimately, I believe her return home would be in her better interest, with proper care. She needs to be removed from Miami Sea Aquarium before she dies, and if can’t be to the ocean, it’s needs to be to a much HEALTHIER tank. Read the death rates of the marine mammals who lived in Miami Sea Aquarium, most don’t live long, and it’s a miracle that Lolita is still alive. Female orcas in the wild can live from 70-80 years old. In captivity, cut that number in half. She doesn’t have much time, and she deserves to “relax” after the hard life she has been forced to live. The grace and freedom that is associated with these whales has been taken from Lolita. The park owner/owners are CRUEL and need to let her go because the ONLY person/people benefiting, are them. I hope all the money made from her shows was worth risking her health and now, potentially, a better life. She needs a better environment to spend the remaining years of her life. Miami Sea Aquarium is a MIAMI SEA PRISON and I hope to see them shutdown in the future, and I hope to see Lolita rescued.

You always want smiles at MIAMI SEA PRISON where we kill animals for your entertainment.

I visited the Miami Seaquarium many years ago and will never go back, except to protest. I wanted to see first hand the situation for the animals. When I heard the story of Lolita, I was so saddened. What a horrible life for a beautiful creature. I inform every friend and family member that comes to Miami of the story so that they spread the word and boycott the Seaquarium. I’m sorry to do such a thing to a business but their priorities are so at of wack, it is warranted. Thank you for this website and for your efforts to save Lolita so that she can at least live out her remaining years with dignity and hopefully a bit of happiness. Please let me know if there is anything I can do & add me to any lists you may have.

I cannot bring myself to watch the video of Lolita, but feel a responsibility to do something to at least try to stop the policies which allow animals to be taken from the ocean for a life in hell at aquariums entertaining people. We have to make a stand and educate people of these horrific acts of cruelty these intelligent beings endure, and to put an end to their punishment. It is heartbreaking to see an animal that is social with such strong family bonds being torn from their families and put into an unnatural and unfair environment . When will people realize that humans have no right to kidnap free whales, dolphins and other sea creatures in order to make the old mighty dollar and that together we can make a difference? Maybe the rules can be changed and all animals will not be put into “hell” for their lifetime. If we fight and speak for them no longer will they be exploited, poked, prodded and treated in unnatural ways. I’m sure Lolita is not the only animal that this is happening to but if we allow this practice to continue we might as well be part of the problem rather then the solution. Anybody want to join the fight?

I feel so bad at how irresponsible mankind can be. When will such atrocities end? If we do not be their voice, who will hear their cries?

This story is now featured in http://stopanimalabuse.blogspot.com/

Keiko was a trasient whale – searching for a pod to travel with … while Lolita is a resident whale – and if u do some research, you would know that scientists in Wa. have been studying orcas for decades – and know Lolita’s family – her pod.

If scientists know of Lolita’s family pod, where they are and how often they visit that area then surely they should allow this poor whale freedom to be with her family. I mean to be absolutely sure she will be able to re-unite with family group safely. Keeping her in this pond is like putting a small fish in a cup to live. The pond Lolita lives in is really too small and people should not visit and vote with their feet. There is no reason to kidnap another living baby animal from its family and call it research.
The Japanese say they are conducting research also when they slaughter whales for human consumption. Really is nothing safe from humans. We eat everything that moves, kill for sport and self gratification, conduct tests in a cruel manner for cosmetic purposes, and then for entertainment keep animals in small spaces, sell tickets to make money and they say we are human and intelligent.
I do not think so. We measure higher intelligence by the way we communicate verbally. We do not have the abiltiy to have SONAR. We can not fly to a destination and arrive at the other end. etcetera, etcetera etcetera. The human race some of us, not all are really quite arrogant and full of ourselves.

Please free Lolita! We are far away here in Germany, but we hope and pray that the Government will set a sign! It is too sad!

Please free Lolita!!! That’s really cruel what This sick people are doing with her. Free her please!!! Would you like to be living in a small tank like that one. bastards. Free Lolita!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This place is an absolute disgrace. Please free this beautiful creature. Non-human animals want to be with their siblings in the same way as humans. Animals are not on this earth for our entertainment, so please stop the exploitation and FREE LOLITA!

I’ve been following this tragedy for over 10 years and have been trying to get Jimmy Buffett involved in the effort to get this girl released. He’s been very active in the Save The Manatee organization and this just seems like a natural for him, if only in lending his name in support. I wrote a song of positive visualization for my newest CD imagining what it will be like when Lolita is finally swimming free with her family. You can hear a clip at tropzone.net

I can’t believe what they do to those animals! I will talk to my family in Miami so they could help get her FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!We need to talk and do something to help all of the Killer whales all around the WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so sick of reading about this…I am going to put what I have to say in the nicest way possible: To the people doing this to animals…Do you not understand the concept of nature? Do you not realize that you are nowhere as close to god yet you are playing god? Who gives you the right to intervene and destroy nature and creatures for your own financial benefit? If you do not believe in god let’s just say it’s a higher something. How are you going to explain yourself? Are you honestly proud of what you are doing? There are so many other ways of making money for heaven’s sake…things to be proud of…things you truly believe in! What do you believe in? It seems as if you are a lost soul without believe in anything…go and find yourself and stop pretending you are god because you are so far away from that….and that couldn’t be more obvious in your actions! Please pass this on as i don’t know who to get in touch with. This has to be stopped. And by god DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BY GOING TO SEAWORLD!!!!

Hello I Think that it is Terrible what happened to Lolita. So does my sibling so we are making a site
Called http://savelolitatheorca.webs.com/ And we are doing EVERYTHING At school to FREE Her!

Its just horrible and wrong to use whales/dolphins and any other kind of animal for entertainment. SeaWorld and other parks to capture these animals and to put them in illegal tanks to do ‘tricks’ for profits. How is this educational?
I especially feel for Lolita its time to let her be free. Hasn’t she suffered enough?!

I don’t care who you are or what you think the public wants as far as entertainment, but I can assure you that watching an animal that is not in good health perform is not an idea of a good time. I wonder if you had to live in a small confined space with nothing to do and nothing to occupy your time, you would not survive it either. Personally, I think the owners of the aquarium should be strung up by their ankles, repeatedly whipped with barbed wire, and put on display everyday until they let Lolita go!!!!!!!

I am enraged by this. This poor orca has no life!!! They obviously don’t care for her!! Why do they continue to say she is fine she is happy when its so obvious to anyone with eyes she is not!!

Its good to see some one who has passion like I do! The answer isn’t blaming Sea World. Sea World has nothing to do with MSQ. In fact Sea World takes excellent care of its Animals. MSQ does not. I am not however condoning Sea World or any place that profits from the suffering of others.

It is obvious that the owners of the Seaquarium care more about money than the well being of their animals. This reason alone should make their input invalid, Lolita needs to be removed from this pitiful excuse for a marine park and relocated to Washington, which is where she should have been years ago.

How can the Hertz’s go home and night and sleep in their comfortable beds when poor Lolita is living like a miserable prisoner day in and day out. No toys, no companions of her own kind, and a tank that isn’t even twice her size. I don’t even understand why nothing has been done about that..if it’s illegal, than why is she still in it? If the owners refuse to give her up, they should at least be forced to do something about her tank. They won’t give her up because of money concerns, but when they had the funds to build her a new tank, they used it instead on a project that would bring them in more money. Cruel greed in every sense of the word.

Lolita has served your park well for decades…return the favor and let her go and live out the rest of her days in happiness, health, and peace. She is not happy where she is, and NO ONE will believe that she is. Is any animal..human or non human happy in a cage or prison?

It’s sad that there are people out there that will profit from another creature’s suffering. It just shows what our world is coming to.

I think we all need take A. Hertz and lock in in a inhabitable tiny room with nothing it it and no human contact for 40 years so he knows how Lolita feels.

Great job!!!!I hope everyone on here will be there on May 30th to protest!!!I know I will.

Dont you guys get it!! you are talking to yourself, actually writing which is even worst!!!!! nobody but you guys come in this stupid website and read and write the stupid things you guys write. LOLITA is happy and spoiled at MSQ. Proof?? The fact that she has lived for as long as shes lived. You guys protest, scream, yell, get sunburned, do websites, and most of all IMAGINE that something will change! NOTHING will!!!!!!!!! She will be taken care of until its her day, the same as all the animals at the seaquarium… why dont you guys do your research or even watch the news about all the manatees and see turtles they release back into the ocean. you guys are ignorant but most of all have a lot of time in your hands! PICK UP A HOBBY!!!!! byezzzz

Barbara- I have just one comment for you: “Truth will be truth regardless of a person’s lack of understanding, ignorance or disbelief”.

Barbara, Would you like to be held in a dark closet for almost 40 years!! No human contact!! That’s what it is like for Lolita! No creature deserves to go through the hell she has.

Do you think that the city and the state do not provide considerable tax incentives and discounts to the Miami Seaquarium abusement park for their efforts to help sea turtles or manatees? The Miami Seaquarium operates like any corporation.. they want to make money. With all of the protests against this park, it is likely that Hertz and family are working hard to improve their image, hence the flood of PR news about how they helped one manatee. Puuuhlease. It is estimated that each captive dolphin present at an aquarium draws in about a million dollars in profits per year. Think about that folks!

Arthur Hertz, Andrew Hertz, and Miami Seaquarium know that Lolita’s performing days are numbered, so rather than fight to get the permitting to build her a larger tank, they spent millions on their new ‘you too can swim with a dolphin in miami florida’ center. Miami $eaquarium like any other corporation is in business to make money. If we educate others about how short the lifespan of these animals are in captivity, then maybe people will stop romanticizing swimming with dolphins and these sea prisons will go out of business.

I just watched the video on the dolphin swim page, and this says it all!
http://www.savelolita.com/miami-seaquarium-swim-with-dolphins/

Barbara…what could be “worst” than to be so ignorant about another beings existence and quality of life at the hands of a money hungry pimp for abused marine animals-Miami Seaquarium! If the website is so “stupid”, why are you trying to comprehend big words and compassionate ideas, when you could be swimming with dolphins or the “lucky” sea turtles that live in filthy canals at MSQ? And for your proof of her happiness…tortured prisoners of war and holocaust survivors have all endured pain and torture and yet some live- Lolita is also a survivor…Do you have any idea what her life has been like? She was brutally abducted from her Mother’s side, netted, flown to Miami, dumped into a tank the size of a bedroom and left there with absolutely no plants, rocks, live fish to chase and eat or another orca to communicate with. Do a little study, reading and discover that orcas never leave their pods/families, ever. Unlike your family that must have dropped you on your head several times at a young age. As for your nothing will change motto- women will never vote, blacks will never be free, gays will not have rights, and man will never walk on the moon- are you in a time capsule of ignorance? Anything is possible and to do the right thing for this poor orca is not impossible! Now, lastly, for your hobby demand- you should work on the basics- English/grammar 101…Start with capitol letters on your sentences and try to make your sentences interesting. See you working at a McDonalds Barbara- I’m vegan.

Good for you Julie … keep trying … the more we talk about it … one by one … people will start to get it. A lot of people feel if Lolita was released that she will die … and then it will never happen again. Keiko was a transient whale …. where Lolita is a resident whale. Keiko was a bad canidate for release. As she is getting older, Lolita is not going to live forever … and the saddest day of my life will be when Lolita dies … but just imagine the exposure it will bring … If Hertz were to finally agree to lease her – it will probably be when he knows that she is dying … and if she dies outside of the MSQ, people will say … “See … ? If she dies inside – imagine the impact that will have in favor of boycotting and / closing down marine parks – and replacing them with educational, mammal-free facilitieis! Lolita would surely be an “ambassador” for other Orcas … showing the ignorant public … she will represent the cruelty done by man. I am also a vegan! (: