Free Lolita, the Captive Orca Whale

Her name is Lolita, and she is 48 years old. August 8th, 2010 marked the 40th anniversary of Lolita's capture from her family, the South Resident orcas in Penn Cove off Whidby Island in Washington.She was kidnapped at the age of 6 from her home in northwestern Washington State, and she has been a prisoner for the last 43 years.

The entire community of about 85 resident orcas was driven into Penn Cove, Whidbey Island. Four baby whales and a young mother drowned in the capture, and seven very young whales were sold into the entertainment industry. Of at least 45 whales removed or killed during the capture era, only one survives ... alone ... in a Miami marine park, The Miami Seaquarium. Since the brutal capture Lolita in 1970, she has been kept in a tank that is illegal by current APHIS standards for space requirements as provided in Regulation 9 CFR section 3.104.

We ask that Authur Hertz, owner of Miami Seaquarium,  to retire his 'captive' and return her to her family pod in Washington State. He never should have been in possession of Lolita, and other sea mammals to begin with- according to the Marine Mammal Protection Act when he acquired her 40 years ago- the Act prohibited the "taking" of marine mammals, and defined taking as "harass, hunt, capture, kill or collect, or attempt to harass, hunt, capture, kill or collect.

Arthur Hertz
The Miami Seaquarium
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, FL 3314
or
Wometco Enterprises
3195 Ponce de Leon
Coral Gables, FL 33134

USDA-APHIS-Animal Care
ace@aphis.usda.gov

USDA-APHIS-Animal Care East:
aceast@aphis.usda.gov

USDA-APHIS-Policy & Programs:
aphis.web@aphis.usda.gov

Abbey Shaffer- Legislative Teams Leader:
abbey.l.shaffer@aphis.usda.gov

Christopher Needham- Legislative Affairs Specialist: christopher.needham@aphis.usda.gov

James Ivy- USDA-APHIS:
james.c.ivy@aphis.usda.gov

Bethany Jones- Deputy Administrator of Legislative and Public Affairs: bethany.x.jones@aphis.usda.gov

Edward Avalos- Under Secretary for Marketing & Regulatory Programs: ed.avalos@usda.gov

Kathleen Merrigan- Deputy Secretary of Agriculture:
kathleen.merrigan@usda.gov

Tom Vilsak- Secretary of Agriculture:
agsec@usda.gov

single bulk mailing:
ace@aphis.usda.gov,aceast@aphis.usda.gov,aphis.web@aphis.usda.gov,
abbey.l.shaffer@aphis.usda.gov,christopher.needham@aphis.usda.gov,
bethany.x.jones@aphis.usda.gov,ed.avalos@usda.gov,
kathleen.merrigan@usda.gov,agsec@usda.gov,james.c.ivy@aphis.usda.gov