Lolita Update #75
October 11, 2004

Dear Friends of Lolita~

Some of you have asked about the damage to the Seaquarium from the hurricanes. Fortunately south Florida was about the only place in the state that was not hit head-on by at least one hurricane. There was some wind damage to signs and roofing, and some erosion along the sea wall which caused part of the fence to collapse, but nothing too serious. Possible related to the collapsed fence, somebody recently got into a tank holding a mother dolphins and her calf and was injured by the dolphin.

The water in all the pools was full of sediment probably from the water in the bay being churned up and pumped in to the various pools.

We are continuing to work with very dedicated activists in the Miami area to make Lolita's tragic predicament better known. In spite of massive on-going public relations effort by the marine park industry the world is increasingly aware of the cruelty of holding such deeply social, highly aware and far-ranging beings in captivity in any way, especially in complete isolation in such a confined space as the whale tank and the Seaquarium.

The video documentary "Lolita - Slave to Entertainment" by Tim Gorski and Valerie Silidker of Rattle The Cage Productions (www.rattlethecage.org) has been showing in Free Speech TV on a regular basis. The film presents a powerful portrait of the travesty and tragedy of Lolita's captivity, and the reality that she could return to her home waters and rejoin her family. The fact that she continues to use the unique dialect that only her immediate family still uses each day in the inland waters of the Pacific Northwest makes an unequivocal case that she would recognize her family and they would know her immediately, if only the Seaquarium would allow her to return home.

Howard Garrett and Susan Berta
Orca Network

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!