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SOEXCITED- Let Lolita Live!

lizasaur

Charlatan
Hi everyone... :blush:
As some of you may know, this weekend is so massively epic for me that I can't stand it! And just simply because how big and important this is (well, atleast to me)...I thought I'd share:

I will be driving down to Miami and taking part in the Let Lolita Live rally!!!

Lolita is a 44 year old captive orca that is kept at the Miami Seaquarium. She's been stuck there since 1970 when she was ripped from her family in the wild and transported across the country to there. Her tank is illegal by the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) standards for size requirements- being just 80' x 35', a mere 20' deep at the deepest point, and only 12' deep around the edges. Lolita, by comparison, is approximately 21' long and 7,000 pounds.
The Miami Seaquarium is considered to be one of the most dilapidated aquatic parks in the world. It is in need of major repairs, and per the Marine Mammal Inventory Report, has a substantial death rate for their animals.

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The objective is to get Lolita retired to a bay pen in her native waters off the coast of Washington State. There is a plan devised that would allow her to reside in a generously sized bay pen and be taken care of while slowly being re-acclimated to her natural waters. The hope is that she will be rehabilitated to the natural surroundings while being able to interact with her family. If she adapts well and chooses to do so, she would eventually be released to rejoin her pod. If for any reason she decides to return to the bay pen, she will be taken care of for the rest of her life while still being able to live in a spacious, natural environment in close proximity to her wild relatives.

The rally is being organized by Oceanic Defense and the Let Lolita Live project, which was started by a 9 year old boy named Trevor. It will be hosted by Pete Bethune (who allied with the Sea Shepherds on the last season of Whale Wars). It's Sunday, 12-2 infront of the Seaquarium if anyone's in the area and wants to show support :grin:

I will update Sunday night with pictures from the actual rally. But for now, here's the shirt and posters I've made (not my best work, but not bad for last minute):
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So uh, yeah.
:-D
 
Did you design the whale in the fishbowl? That's great! Good luck with getting her freed. In general I don't like seeing any open water fishes like: whales, sharks, paddlefish, sturgeons, etc. in aquariums. I especially HATE animal trick shows of all kinds.

I always laugh myself silly when someone gets mauled or eaten on those When Animals Attack video programs ! :D
 
Oh, I wish I had, but it's a pre-existing logo. The iron-on transfer was an epic fail, though, so I ended up having to paint in everything that's not black.
When I was young...I loved Sea World. I loved the opportunity to get so close to these animals I'd otherwise likely never see. But then I got smart and stopped being selfish. I realized "amusement parks" are abominations, that these animals do not belong there.
And with the 4 deaths in the past 4 months at Sea World, the numerous Whale Sharks getting ill and dying in aquariums, and poor Lolita...it's just so glaringly obvious that these creatures aren't made for captivity. I hope people will see that. I hope that our voices will be too loud for the owners to ignore anymore.

Thank you :-D

Me too, btw. Total "You Deserved It"s. And I'm always rooting for the monsters in the movies ;D
 
good luck saying a prayer , how can we do this to such a wonder of our planet.
Love your art work , as swords says you might want a copyright on that idea, says it all .
Why shouldn't an animal grab someone by the arm and drown them , that's what is being done here, only very slowly .
I agree with you both. EAT EM UP !
 
Really hope eveything works!
 
And with the 4 deaths in the past 4 months at Sea World.....

Not directed at you personally or an attempt to cause a big controversy, but freeing Kieko didn't turn out too well, and why do most people ignore the fact that animals in the wild also die. I imagine many more than 4 whales died in the wild in the past 4 months, its just those deaths are not played on the local news.
 
Buster, you have to look at it right... How many orcas are in the wild vs in captivity though? 4 is alot for captivity....
 
Ah, here we go. Knew it!
I was gonna make some disclaimer that said this is not the place to debate about Whale Wars, SSCS, Pete Bethune, or ridiculous reasons that defend keeping these animals in captivity. Or otherwise rain on my parade. :glare:
And I decided not to, cause man, I'd be a jerk for assuming it'd be necessary to state the obvious. I thought everyone here would be able to look at this and use their better judgment that this is not the place.
Way to prove me wrong.

Keiko's situation was not ideal, no. It is unfortunate that he ended up dead, but as you said, it's what they do. They die. Hey look...he wasn't in a park and still made the news! :-O It should be dualy noted however, that it was successful initially, and it should be celebrated that in the time before his death, he was able to yet again live as the wild orca he was meant to be.
Perhaps you missed it, but Lolita will not be dumped into the ocean. She will, in the least, be relocated, to a sufficiently larger bay pen, which would give her more space, and more natural conditions. The other difference between Loli and Keiko is that they know where her pod is. They were never able to find Keiko's pod, and it's speculated that the loneliness drove Keiko to beach himself.
So uh, just what exactly is your point? That we should condemn these creatures to small cement pools, forcing them to perform for the rest of their lives, on the off chance they die once they're released? You don't think any lessons were learned from Keiko's run? Lolita doesn't even deserve, in the least, a bigger, better enclosure with a far more enriched life?
Also, just..while I'm at it.. Whales die in the wild. Sure. That's supposed to happen. It should be noted that when whales wash up, dead or alive, they usually make atleast local news, but more often than not, they make national news. Their deaths aren't reported without their corpses to ogle over.
The fact that you're ignoring, is that when orcas die in the wild, they've usually reached the end of their lifespan of 60 or so years, presuming they're not struck by a boat or some such. The whales that have died in the past 4 months weren't even 30. You gonna tell me that's acceptable, that's natural, with a straight face? REALLY? IF this were happening in the wild, I promise you, people would be scrambling to figure out what's causing so many premature deaths. The mystery isn't quite as grand in this situation.
 
And with the 4 deaths in the past 4 months at Sea World.....

Not directed at you personally or an attempt to cause a big controversy, but freeing Kieko didn't turn out too well, and why do most people ignore the fact that animals in the wild also die. I imagine many more than 4 whales died in the wild in the past 4 months, its just those deaths are not played on the local news.

And then again, those whales that died in the wild may have had nothing to do with human interaction, yet we're all aware of the unacceptable conditions they are subjected to at aquarium parks - therefore, those deaths are directly related to human interaction, no way you can doubt that...
 
  • #10
Actually, I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. Howerver two of the deaths everyone keeps harping about were a mother and calf during birth (I imaging that happens in the wild - no human interaction needed). Actually the lifespan of whales is not definately known in the wild and if you listen to the PETA people who picket Seaworld regularly it is between 120 and 130 years.
As to the point - not trying to make one- just stating a fact about Kieko, and my opinion just like you did yours - no need to get defensive and all riled up as I stated none of what I wrote was actually directed at you or your rally.
 
  • #11
Then why mention it? everyone knows animals die sometime.
 
  • #12
Actually...you are.
Like majorly.
I'm all bubbly because this is my first rally and I hope to accomplish some good. This is what means alot to me. And here you are, doing your best to invalidate it. You and your sharing are something that just do not fit in here for anything. I mean, what does Keiko have to do with what I'm trying to do- get Lolita relocated.
The fact is you're a negative Nancy, and definitely raining on my parade. You can keep saying you're not, but that's not gonna change the fact that you are. Like people are still going to get offended even though you say "No offense." Something says that you're the type of person who tells people they're a year closer to 50 at their birthdays instead of just smiling and saying "Happy Birthday!"
And to play your game, fine, there were TWO premature deaths. One was 12 and the other was 25. Two in four months, whereas up until now, it's been less than one a year. Still too much, IMO. But that's not the point. And you're right, no one knows, but accurate guesstimates range from 40-80, so 60 is a good midpoint.

What it comes down to, your "opinion"/statement of fact is absolutely not relevant to me or what I'm doing and you're just being a troll, pretty much.
Enjoy your day.
 
  • #13
Ah, so those were the posters you were painting. Very nicely done. Love the art work. I do hope that everything goes well for you and I admire that you care so deeply about wildlife in general. I just wish the people that are being protested against felt the same way and would realize that its more entertaining to watch the animals be free than in captivity. I remember years ago I got to see some whales come up out of the ocean for air when I was on a boat. It was my 5th grade San Diego field trip.
Anyways, I admire what your doing and keep up the good work. Our voices must be heard.
 
  • #14
Yes! way to go, I'm glad you will be participating in this rally. If I were not on the complete opposite side of the continent, I would do the same.

Here we see them passing by in pods off the shore. So spectacular. Just the fact that someone thought it would be a good idea to ever take a whale captive is so ridiculous.

If she doesn't get relocated successfully I hope someone sabotages their dilapidated prison.
 
  • #15
I've never been to a rally. I used to be the kind who'd totally rally but never had the opportunity! Now that I have the opportunity I don't really care enough about anything to rally.

I totally support the relocation of lolita. I don't know anything about keiko or lolita, but I love whales just as much as the next guy so... hurray!

There should be some sort of authority to regulate all zoos as aquatic animal parks. I ASSUMED there was some sort of laws that would require standards etc. etc. if you wanted to have a permit to keep an animal like a whale/dolphin/elephant/seal/manatees/monkeys/tigers etc etc.

Get the park up to code or shut it down, that's the bigger picture that I'm seeing.
 
  • #16
FREE WILLY!.....erm, LOLITA! :-O
 
  • #17
I am home safe, and happy to report that the rally was a success! :-D

There were easily over 60 people that attended- a huge leap from the usual 4-5. Everyone had signs and shirts. Pete, and other members, delivered inspirational speeches through a loudspeaker, some of which lead to tears. Spirits were high, passion connected the crowd, and we got LOTS of honks of support! We made heaps of noise, as Pete would say.
The grand finale after over 100 minutes of standing at the roadside, holding signs, chanting at the top of our lungs and cheering on those who cheered us was:
Storming the aquarium! :-O All of us, running into the aquarium, we stood at the front by the ticket stands for about a minute, showing our signs, continuing to chant. Until the police officer came, who made us leave. What happened then is amazing :p (see teh video)
There was even a camera crew from a local news station! Our story was aired, and it wasn't just that, but the truth about that deplorable aquarium was also shed.
We definitely got noticed. That part of the mission was certainly accomplished.
As far as I know, the Seaquarium has not yet taken action. But then again, it's only happened earlier today.

Now ish time for pickshures!
Ones I took:
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The man of the hour himself, Pete Bethune, introducing Trevor (who got him there and started Let Lolita Live) who is meekly hiding at his side.
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I'm front-left, my friend is right behind me.
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My shirt got added to :3 *is never washing it*
A link to the 'official' album- offering a complete view, and you can spot me in a good number of them :awesome:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=563241&id=205136110234

Here Comes The Storm!!
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...I liked his version of the chant when he'd say "Hey my homies, what do you say?" But whatevs.
 
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  • #18
Glad you had a good time and didn't get arrested! I got arrested/beaten by the cops at the earth day 1992 protest here. Whee!
 
  • #19
What it comes down to, your "opinion"/statement of fact is absolutely not relevant to me or what I'm doing and you're just being a troll, pretty much.
Enjoy your day.

Liz, you forgot to add "no offense" to that statement. ;)

Hopefully this'll be the first step to saving an orca's life... :-O
 
  • #20
Oh my gosh!!!!! You are amazing!
I'd have been there if I coulda been, I'm sooooo happy that everyone stayed safe, and your message was spread. This is a step in the right direction.
 
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