Lolita, World's Loneliest Orca, Gets Endangered Species Protection

Federal officials on Wednesday granted a long-captive killer whale the same status that her wild kin have under the Endangered Species Act.  But for now, Lolita, the Florida-held orca, won't be changing addresses as a result.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) determined that Lolita, a killer whale living since 1970 at the Miami Seaquarium, shares the established federal status of the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales of the Pacific Northwest coast.   But the change in status doesn't compel the Miami Seaquarium to get her a bigger pool, return her to the wild, or do much of anything else so far, according to NOAA officials.

http://tinyurl.com/k9og9eq

Tiny Tank Where Whale Has Been Confined for 45 Years

She looks like a goldfish in a bowl, but she’s actually a blackfish in a tank.  A very small tank.  A new video has been posted on YouTube, apparently taken by a drone, showing Lolita, a 22-foot-long killer whale, swimming in furious circles in her diminutive pool at the Miami Seaquarium. For decades, opponents of orca captivity have decried the size of Lolita’s tank. But the overhead perspective of the one-minute video puts her living conditions into stark relief.

http://tinyurl.com/m6n37re

First Step Toward Freeing Lolita the Orca

With the popularity of the documentary Blackfish, which focuses on captive orcas at SeaWorld, public debate over keeping the endangered species in captivity has reignited.  For years, activists have tried to have Lolita, an orca held captive at the Miami Seaquarium, released. Today, federal officials announced that they are taking the first steps toward having Lolita included in the endangered species listing for Puget Sound orcas. It could be a possible path to having Lolita released to a more natural setting.

http://tinyurl.com/qz6tmlz

‘Blackfish’ Movie Bites Into SeaWorld

Blackfish is a powerful documentary that will leave the viewer appalled at the use of highly-intelligent killer whales as amusement park attractions.

http://tinyurl.com/ngwrem2

http://tinyurl.com/ngwrem2

Lolita the Orca's Plight Draws Flood of Responses – What You Can Do

"1,742 Comments Received”. At 6:20 a.m. on June 26th there were just 367 comments on whether on not the government should consider the right of the captive Southern Resident orca, Lolita, to be listed as endangered as is the rest of her family. (Read more here). Two days later when the comment period closed, the count was up to 1,742, showing the strong sentiment against keeping these large members of the dolphin family in captivity – but more importantly, illustrating the effectiveness of social media – and it is something we can all do to help.

http://tinyurl.com/ksft8fl