Photo by Carole May ©2009
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Free Willy? Why not free Lolita??
I recently spoke to Howard Garrett of Orca Network, who is very involved in the orca community and asked him why they didn’t use Lolita’s story for “Free Willy” instead of Keiko’s.
He said that Dick Donner, the producer, wanted to film at the Miami Seaquarium, but the owner of the park, Arthur Hertz, looked at the script and said something to the effect of “Oh no it doesn’t end well – the whale goes free, and it makes the park look bad”. So they had to shoot the film in Mexico, where they already knew that Keiko had to be moved. If the powers to be in Mexico could see that Keiko had to be moved, why aren’t the powers to be in the U.S. seeing what’s going on in Miami and doing the same for Lolita?
It’s time for these questions to be answered. Lolita is in a tank that is well below the standards and is in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. According to section 3.128, the tank to house an orca of Lolita’s size must be a minimum of 48 feet across. Lolita's tank is only 35 feet across. It should also be pointed out that the Seaquarium is not a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums because the tank is illegal. Also, orcas live in pods, they are not solitary creatures. Lolita has not seen another orca since 1980 when her companion, Hugo, developed a brain aneurism and died.
Write to APHIS and ask why this has been allowed to go on for so long and then ask them when they are doing to do something about it!
Write to: Secretary Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture
USDA/APHIS/AC
4700 River Road, Unit 84
Riverdale, MD 20737-1234
Then write to President Obama and ask him why APHIS is not doing their job and how long he’s going to allow this travesty to continue.
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Make your voice heard! It is time for Lolita to be retired and for her to come home.
Go to "An Orca named Lolita - Part 7 - Keiko and Lolita - Same or Different?"
WHERE LOLITA BELONGS!
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