March 11th 2008
Johnny Depp and Snoop Dogg Team Up To Free Lolita
Together at last.
Filed under: animals — michael @ 10:28 am
Johnny Depp and Snoop Dogg are joining forces with Harrison Ford, Fifty Cent, R&B singer Truth Hurts, and several politicians to appeal for the release of Lolita the killer whale. Currently, Lolita is being held in the Miami Seaquarium where she has been performing for about 37 years. She is now is 20 feet long, weighs 7,000 pounds, and lives in a tank that measures 80 feet across at its widest and 20 feet deep. Howard Garrett, who with Susan Berta founded the Orca Network are the organized force behind the freedom rally. From the article,
“Newsweek says Levy is working on a benefit concert that would support the Lolita movement. ‘This beautiful animal does not deserve to die in a stinky little tank, and we are not going to take less than a full victory,’ Levy told Newsweek. Garrett said it’s too early to announce any particular concert plans but admitted that ‘we’re working on it. Momentum is building,’ he said. ‘A publicity campaign is in the works being directed by people in Hollywood.’”
Organizers say that Lolita’s best chance at survival would be in the waters of San Juan Island’s Kanaka Bay, which was used to hold killer whales during the roundup days of the 1970s. She could stay with her trainers and staff from Seaquarium before acclimating and venturing off on her own. Garrett discredits those who believe she’s too tame to return to the wild saying, “The idea that she’s habituated, that she’d be totally out of her element if she were brought back, ignores the intelligence of the species and their family bonding for life.”
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Poor Lolita.
I’m with Brookie.
How is it that it has taken 37 years to realise our inhumanity to other species, why does it take ‘hollywood’ to raise awareness? Free the poor whale now and stop procrastinating.
Me too. And you should really not call her a killer whale- the correct name is Orca- killer whale is misleading and negative.
I live here on San Juan Island.. and everytime I see L Pod, (Lolita’s family)… I wish for nothing more than to see here be reunited with her family. I think people are underestimating this incredible species. She has survived in what I think of as a “Whale bathtub” for 37 years…. if she can survive there….. she can survive with her pod. She deserves a real chance at a real life.
Life would still be challenging if she was released but most anything is better than living in such a cramped and isolated space. I think this points to the need for an international moratorium on the capturing of whales and dolphins for the aquarium trade more than anything else. Unfortuanately dolphins are still being caught for the trade, especially by Japanese fishermen. Boycott aquariums!
I disagree with all of you about the complete shut down of all aquariums….
I can bet all of you have visited one at least once in your lifetime.
I grew up back in the old school days when aquariums did not exist….
That is until they built Marineland of The Pacific in Palos Verdas, Ca.
Back in the 1960’s no one cared about whales, dolphines or any fish for that matter …unless it was on their dinner plate…which is where all these beautiful animals ended up then.
They were poisioned, shot and harpooned ….whole pods were killed.
The screams were even worse then in the Lolita capture footage.
So, to get to the point….
After whales and sea life were introduced to the public through…AQUARIUMS did the people and activists get involved in caring what happened to them.
I remember Greenpeace and Marineland used to be on the same side of the issue…SAve THE WHALES!!!
Now I am sure alot of you are too young to remember that campaign….
But what hapened?
Kids learn to love and care for animals by encountering them at zoos and aquariums…
If you close aquairims….even the good ,responsible ones….
in time pop culture and attitudes will change and whales will be hunted and killed once again.
Is that what you want?
Most scientists will credit these institions as the first place they learned about and studied wild animal behavior….many kids have grown up to be veternarians after visiting a marine park.
Do you want to stop this?
Also…about Lolita….
I agree she needs a bigger tank and another orca for a friend….but I adamently disagree with releasing her at this stage of her life…
She is the 2nd oldest whale in captivity….my love , Corky 2 is 44…I know cause I saw her the day they brought her to the aquarium…We were both little then….I think she and I were 4 ..then.
Now imagine a lifetime of only knowing humans…and one contact with your own species….Hugo…you only know a protected world…maybe the tank is too small but other wise you are content…
Then people come and rip you out of your tank at the ripe old age of 40…4 years younger than Corky 2 …..and dump you into the unknown….
your family may reject you…and worse you go from being exploited as a show animal to an expoilted guinea pig
for The Whale Research center to expiriment on.
Yeah Right! you are probadly saying….Well then why did you not do your homework before jumping on a fad cause?
Do any of you even care about the safety of this whale…or care that if you get your way to set her free you will kill her…send her to certain death?
The Whale research center picked Lolita because she was perfect for an expirment they wanted to do….reguarding capture and release of a long confined whale…
They wanted to see what would happen…
without making sure Lolita would be safe…They said their main goal is to conduct an expirment which has never been done before.
They have never sucsessfully realeased any orca before that was in captivity longer that 7-55 DAYS….NOT 40 Years!!!!
Plus most of the dolphins they released had no follow up to see if their release was a success……90% are listed as “results unknown”
Only 3% are known and 2-6 were returned to aquariums because they could not make it in the wild like Keiko (Whom died because of a weak immune system that could not tolerate his new enviroment: Just like the indians got small pox when first exposed to settlers)…
The only success story was MarineLand of the Pacific’s pilot whale…ONE.
She was 0nly 20….Half Lolita’s age and size.
The odds are not in Lolita’s favor.
Ok…so you like long shots….Well ,
baby, this would be a miricle equal to the parting of the red sea or winning the lottery….!!!
If you think I am lying….check out the website, call and write them….
but be educated activists….PLEASE!!!
Here is the info:
Center For Whale Reasearch
P.O Box 1577
Friday Harbor,WA 98250
ph#360-378-5835
e-mail:orcasurv@rockisland.com
Thanks,
Activist for Greenpeace for Whales
I would give anything to see her free.