Orca at Miami Seaquarium Sick with Pnemonia – Bring Lolita Home

What a beautiful and haunting song about Tokitae the Orca – perhaps more well known by her stage name, Lolita.  She is again in the news.  Her health is failing.  Apparently, she is suffering from pneumonia.  I first read about her illness in an article posted in one of the All Creatures newsletters who reported the story based on this PETA article.

I became interested in Lolita’s story several years ago.  Such a sad story.  You can read more about her plight at this site, “Return of Tokitae”, which is dedicated to her release back into the wild.  Also, for other links of interest and to learn about Lolita and her family visit the “Save Lolita” website, which is dedicated to telling her story.  For example, you can read about that tragic day she was captured and the careful plan by Orca Network to enable Lolita to retire from the entertainment business and return home to the Salish Sea, her mother Ocean Sun (L25, approximately 90 years old), and her L-pod family of around 35 Orcas.

Tokitae is the last surviving orca of 45 orca children who were captured and kidnapped from the Salish Sea Southern Resident Orca Community during the late 1960’s and 70’s.  The orca children were then cheaply sold for entertainment purposes and transported to SeaWorld and other marine parks all over the world.  The Miami Seaquarium purchased Tokitae for a paltry $6,000 in September 1970.  She has remained at this location for 52 years.  The seaquarium in which she resides is the equivalent of a human spending their life in a bath tub or small swimming pool.  Orcas in the wild swim 40 miles a day on average (I’ve read as much as 100 miles), hunting for food and for exercise.  According to this article in Live Science:

“Orcas are very social creatures and live in family groups called pods, which have up to 50 members…. These pods are made up of related mothers and their descendants, known as matrilines. A male orca will stay with [his] mother for life, while daughters may spend time away after having calves of their own… Pods often have their own distinctive calls, or dialects, to communicate, but they will associate with other pods and can come together to form even larger, temporary groups.”

Keeping orcas in  seaquariums is cruel.  As the keepers of the created world and all it’s inhabitants, we must end these inhumane practices.  God gave us dominion to care for, protect, and to see that the whole creation flourishes.  Using orcas or any creature for entertainment and profit is in violation of God’s will and an abuse of our power over them.  Further more, humans, made in God’s Image, are called to be the Image bearers of God to all of the rest of creation.  God is love.  We are to love, protect, and care for the creation.  The whole creation groans, Romans 8:22 says, waiting for the sons and daughters to be revealed.  In apocalyptic language, the Apostle Paul describes the corruption of nature and expresses the cosmic scope of God´s salvation in Jesus Christ. Since God plans to redeem all of creation at the end of the age, God’s redeemed children should care for the earth and the animals now.  For more information about the dominion God gave humans, watch the Creation Care Church teaching video, What does it mean to be a good steward of the earth?

What you can do to help Lolita- Take Action

The various links throughout this blog post article have information as to how to take action for Lolita.  For the most current and up to date information, petitions to sign, suggestions and letters to leaders and legislators to write/send, and to follow Lolita’s story as it unfolds:

• Lolita’s Facebook page

• Save Lolita website

• Keep Lolita in prayer

• Never visit a seaquarium

• Sign Petitions: there are many petitions, here are two – Change.org Petition and Care2 Petition

• Write Decision Makers (see the Save Lolita website)

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.  ~Proverbs 12:10

Thank you for reading our blog.  Please keep Lolita in prayer for her release to the 7,000 square mile Salish Sea Whale Sanctuary in Washington State.  ~Kathy