Lolita Update #20
December 2, 1999

Dear Friends of Lolita~

The campaign to bring Lolita home marches on, literally. The University of Miami organization Humans Helping Animals is continuing the once-a-month demonstrations at the Seaquarium. The next one will be on Sunday, December 5, at 12 Noon. Anyone who can be in the Miami area at that time is encouraged to participate. New leaflets are now being readied for distribution at the demo and elsewhere. Just email to tokitae@pugetsound.net for more information.

The demonstrations let the Seaquarium management and staff, as well as the media and the public, know that the campaign for Lolita goes on. The demonstrations raise issues that have still not been talked about much in Miami, like Lolita's continued use of the calls that only her family in the wild use, and about the lifetime bonds within her extended family, about her longevity and her ability to bring new healthy young orcas into her family. When all the evidence is considered anyone with a heart must conclude that Lolita needs the chance to return to home and family. At the same time we are working with the Animal League Defense Fund to prepare a legal argument that the tank is illegally small.

The powerful one-hour documentary "Lolita - Spirit in the Water" is once again playing in cities across the country. We've received calls and emails of support for the campaign from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Albuquerque and Idaho in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Lolita's family paid an extended visit to Puget Sound. For an entire week orcas from all three pods were seen dining on chum salmon just north of Seattle. J16, a 27-year-old mother of two young males, was seen with her new calf born in just the past month. And L98, the new calf first seen in September, was also seen and is doing well.

Anyone doing their holiday shopping by the internet can find Free Lolita T-shirts, casette tapes, bumper stickers and chocolate bars at www.freelolita.net, with proceeds going toward the campaign effort.

Thanks for all your support.

Howard

Much is going on to help bring Lolita home and to inform and advocate for her and her family Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to help Orca Network continue this work. Thank you!