Couch Potatoes for Lolita

By Natalie O'Neill Sat., Feb. 28 2009 at 9:30 AM

Categories: News

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Big time animal lover Anthony Marasia lives in Hawaii, but he's got beef with Miami. The 35-year old, media savy former zookeeper launched a national campaign Thursday to free Seaquarium's Lolita the killer whale. The plan: broadcast footage of the captive orca in her kiddie pool of a tank on public access television from Montana to Illinois. "It's a real heartbreaker," he says

For decades, activists have dusted off bullhorns and painted signs to protest the size of the intelligent, 38-year old killer whale's tank. It's just twice her length - almost unheard of by today's marine mammal standards. "I think Miami should be ashamed of itself," Marasia says. "The world is watching." He will splice footage from local protests with clips from Slave to Entertainment, a documentary about Lolita. Then he'll cross fingers the right people see it.

Riptide doesn't want to be a downer. We admire his ambition. But unless the guys over at Seaquarium are into obscure cable -- and dramatic, unexpected changes of heart-- Lolita's future's looking bleak.

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The world is indeed watching, now more than ever. Now that people have seen "The Cove" they know where the dolphins are coming from. And all eyes will be on the Miami Seaquarium. It is time for them to do the right thing and let her retire in her native waters. There is a natural sea pen waiting for her here in Washington. Her mom is still alive as well. Read "An Orca named Lolita" for more information on Lolita and how you can help. http://www.examiner.com/x-15967-Puget-Sound-Marine-Life-Examiner
Thank you for doing this story about Lolita. All creatures deserve to live free, in the wide, and not in captivity, especially a creature like Lolita. Please help Lolita by giving her story more publicity. It's so sad that a beautiful creature like Lolita has lived in such a tiny space for 38 YEARS!! Can you imagine living that way for even a couple days ?? Lolita deserves to be free. She's done more than her fair share of time for the pleasure of humans, and now it's time for her to live her life!! - Val Pavlik
Child murderers in the prisons of the world are treated better than this innocent animal. The torture has to end.
Poor Lolita!!! Force to spend the rest of her life behind bars, and away from her natural habitat, and What's the crime?.
Efforts to free her have been made since the late 90s but now something has to happen. It can't go on like this for another 10 years. This whales shall be free.
SaveLolita.com !! Don't let her die alone in that horrible, tiny tank :(
Tokitae, you HAVE TO be free!
Captivity drove Hugo to suicide. Now it's time to save at least Lolita.
"this generation will celebrate animal liberation" total liberation cult
Please everyone help liberate Lolita!! :'(
Someone said: "Fight for the life of an animal like it was your brother's life." That's what should be done in this case and all similar cases.
It's time for Lolita to retire. Poor Lolita, she is old by captive standards and shouldnt have to still work to entertain people. Its so cruel to make an animal work until the day it dies.
This tank is way too small for such a big whale. I can't believe she has been living like this for so many years. very cruel.
Save Lolita!!!! This is cruelty! Please set Lolita free!
Captive animals suffer for our entertainment. The least they could do is provide an adequate pool for her. No animal should be forced to live like this.
To see more about this story, watch the video Lolita: Slave to Entertainment - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4824480671145508847&ei=qRirSezBL5HEqQK649zVDg&q=lo Tell your friends!
This is such a sad story. Really heartbreaking. I do hope something can be done for this poor whale. If I lived nearer I would be trying to do more.
Lolita should be back with her family. SAVELOLITA.COM
This whale has gone through hell. Now she deserves being free after all these years.
WE CAN DO THIS PEOPLE!! SAVELOLITA.COM
I don't think the group is as small as the seaquarium states, we all just need to unite and make this happen for Lolita. Captive orcas don't live as long as Lolita, it's unheard of. I truly believe she knows we are fighting for her freedom and she wants to be back with her family. I think that's the only thing keeping her alive. Check out Savelolita.com! It's a new website created by Shelby Proie :D
It's very inspiring to see so many people commenting and coming together to try and do something postive for Lolita. As Margaret Mead said so many years ago - "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Hey marasia, yes i am going to get alot of video on our next trip, and try to record the trainers responding to our questions after the show. Here is a video i found w/ people asking why her tank is so small---------> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nknfhx_F7AQ That sounds like an Excellent plan. We need to get a lot of attention directed at the Seaquarium, from many different sources. The seaquarium considers us a "SMALL group of individuals with no experience working with whales" We need a way to get everyone together. Write me on myspace(myspace.com/underthereef) J?
By the way Jamie, and i am going to run this by Karen and Shelby too. I hope we can all work together to help Lolita. We all want the same thing although the stategies may differ. We should include Russ Rector, he is an expert and has closed one and stopped one. Miami Seaquarium may be #3. We must Unite! Me, you, her, them, and him...United we can make a difference for them.
Thanks for posting pic links. Happy to hear you are going in to get her out. Planning Video too?
K?ren's pic's: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=117699397&albumId=2079163&page=5 Shelby's pic's: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=380010647&albumId=1149979 The only reason we went was to see her...and to get yearly passes for the price of admission. We plan on returning to the seaquarium to see her/take pictures and expose the truth about the miami seaquarium. Thank you for helping Lolita!!! J?
i would like to see those pictures...any video? liberatelolita@yahoo.com
I recently went w/ friends to see lolita a couple weeks ago. Her tank is rusted, old and TINY. They have metal gates they close between shows, and tarps over the rest of the swimming pool enclosure so you cant see in. They literally lock her up 20 something hours a day. Before the show (about 3 min.) I stood as close to her as i could get, and she just bobbed up and down like a buoy. It smelled like chlorine and it was just plain depressing. Shelby on Myspace.com/saveouroceansnow has pic from that day if interested. After the show lolita went to the bottom of her tank and stayed there. They gave us maybe 2 and a half min. before they shuffled us out the door and closed it behind them. There was maybe 50 people there, and they most likely were all tourists. I just looked around and wondered why everyone was so happy to see such cruelty. She shares the tank w/ 3 dolphins, which stay away from her. Money rules in this case. The only thing that will send Lolita back to Puget sound back to her pod where she belongs is pressure from the public(you and i) and the media. If you live in South Florida PLEASE come to one of our protest's. We definitely can do this, its just getting it done before its too late. J?
They WILL pay, i guarantee that! One way or another. J?
MSQ should have to pay, literally, for what they have done to Lolita. One way or another.
Maybe we could all send an email to a show like Nightline, asking them to do a story about Lolita? I'm going to right now...
And since heartfelt pleading for Lolita has had no effect on these animal abusers, maybe hitting them in the pocketbook with legal action is the next step.
Free this wild animal and let her live out what remains of her life where she belongs - in the ocean, not in a glorified bathtub.
Thank you so much for posting this about Lolita. It will definitely help shed some light on her horrible captive situation. Miami Seaquarium should be ashamed! They know we will never stop fighting for Lolita! And her plight is getting more attention every day!
Poor Lolita. Force to be behind bars for the rest of her miserable life, and away from her natural habitat. Please have a heart.
SET THE WHALE FREE.THATS ANIMAL CRUELTY!!!!!
thats cruelty to a whale.set the whale free i suppose
Poor Lolita!!!!. Force to be in prison for the rest of her life, and out of her natural habitat. I hope we can all work and put pressure to their owners, so they finally realize how inhuman it is to keep such a large animal in such despicable conditions.
Here's the story on O'Barry: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2009-03-05/news/free-ric-o-barry I'd like to hear your thoughts.
LETS SAVE LOLITA!!!!
If anyone lives in South Florida and wants to do something about Lolita, Come to the seaprison protest every last Saturday of the month around 11. Shelby P has been hosting them, contact her at: Myspace.com/saveouroceansnow J?mie myspace.com/underthereef
Run Lolita Run!!!!! My heart and prayers go out to you - lord knows if I was near you I would stand out in front of the jail where you have to live with signs and bull horn and make them set you free - ANIMAL LIBERATION!!!!!!!!!
Poor Lolita. This is so sad and so upsetting. I wish something could be done to help her.
Lolita needs to be reunited with her family before it's too late for her. She's tired and lonely.
Praying that Lolita gets out of that kiddie pool sized container, soon!
Animal should not be in captivity. Lolita free wherever there is space and its natural environment! Love for Lolita can unite hearts and minds.
This is just terrible for Lolita. Not a normal living situation for her. This is so wrong. Please Free Her!!
Love for Lolita can unite hearts and minds. Never be silent about her plight. Fight on for her, be her voice, for as long as we possibly can!
Those mean people gotta give in after they see how many comments there is all for one Very special Orca ;)
FREE LOLiTA
FREE LOLiTA!!!!! W3 LOVE YOU LOLiTA! :) ~Jenna & nichole~
i have so much faith in this :D this will be a historical moment! lol...FREE LOLiTA!!!!
Come on people we can do this
Come on people where's your hearts?? is anyone else gunna comment on here??
Hey look at that! were almost at 200 comments :) imma make sure that i keep commenting every day as much as i can
Please, for those of you that would like to try and make a difference in the life of sweet Animals that cannot deffend themselves. please feel free to add my myspace site. www.Myspace.com/Save_the_wildlife thanks
i'm deffinetly not gunna stop until sumthing GUD is done for Lolita!!
WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL LOLITA IS RETIRED. ONE way or ANOTHER.
Please check out this video of a trainer saying that they don't want to risk acclimating her to a new tank.......:( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nknfhx_F7AQ
Please check out this video of a trainer saying that they don't want to risk acclimating her to a new tank.......:(
PLEASE GOD HAVE MERCY ON THIS POOR CREATURE. SHE HAS SUFFERED ENOUGH.
ARM (and educate) YOURSELVES: Order a copy of the Animal Welfare act call USDA at 301 734 7883
I agree with you Jamie S - protests must continue at the Miami Seaquarium and even if they stop one person going into that place (or going in more informed about the harsh reality of the situation) and they go on to tell their friends etc, then word will continue to spread and it will be worth the effort and time. A lot of people are guilty of ignorance, they are led to believe that these places "love and care" for the creatures they look after. Lolita (and the dolphins) doesn't have a voice of her own and so she needs activists to tell the truth about her miserable life. Please animal loving readers of this blog, join the protests and be a voice for Lolita!
I have attended a bunch of protests held my Shelby every last Sat. of the month around Noon, and I understand that these people drove all the way there, and don't want to let their children down. At least they possibly walked away more aware of this situation. If we all rally together we can get her released!! J?
Thank you for putting this up on your website. The condition Lolita has to live in is horrible! Please help her however you can. thank you
This is HORRIBLY wrong! Save the poor little whaleeee
ignorance shall be put to rest!
oh my bad! i said we can give up but i meant we CANT! there will always be hope and that's why i'm trying my best to help this cause! :D
$6000 for her to make you millions and you still won't set her free ;( I'm watching the video now and I want to cry...
This is horrible, and very cruel to keep Lolita in a small tiny fish tank. This whale deserves to be in the ocean where she came from. And just reading some of your comments I'm even more hurt ;( They violently kidnapped her from the ocean away from her family and home... ;( To stay in a tiny fish tank with no freedom for entertainment. This just wrong........
Lolita was violently and horribly kidnapped from the ocean, her home. Snatched against her will, taken from her family and placed into a life a slavery. We should never stop talking about this and never allow it to happen to another orca again. Do not support this exploitation, do not visit sea parks and tell everyone you know why.
Why can't Lolita be freed?! can't the sea quarium stop being so greedy and think about how many millions Lolita has made for them, and give her something in return!? She can hardly get around in that tank, she's been stuck in it for over 30years, why isn't anything being done about it?! If she can't be released into the wild, atleast build her a bigger tank, or a seapen so she can interact with other orca's! jeeze!
This fight to free Lolita has gone on for too long! Just look at this article about Howard Garrett and the attempts to free her back in the late ninties http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1999-07-08/news/livin-la-vida-orca. It's 10 years later and these corporate jerkoffs won't even consider talking about freeing her. We need to get that Saab commerical with Lolita aired on Miami local stations, that would get some attention. Unfortunately the seaquarium owner's own some of the stations so I doubt that would happen. What the hell do we do?! She's going to die if more people don't stand up for her rights.
Please Miami, - write letter, make calls, the authorities need to answer questions about why Miami Seaquarium is getting away with breaking safety standard rules! See: http://www.miamiseaprison.com/help_lolita.htm for the details.
Why do this Seaqarium keep being granted a license when Lolita's tank is clearly substandard and of ILLEGAL size under APHIS laws? i don't understand why this has been happening for years. Her conditions are CRUEL and the Seaqarium should be taken to task about not providing adequately for her. She is a living creature, why are the laws not protecting her??
If she can't be freed atleast let her live in something of decent size!!!!! Did we take any lessons with us watching FREE WILLY? 2009 and still fighting for orcas in fish bowls? Sad.
If you haven't seen the film, "Slave to Entertainment" yet, its here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4824480671145508847&ei=qRirSezBL5HEqQK649zVDg&q=lolita+slave Thanks, J?
First off i would like to say, thank you for your support for this cause, i just joined last night, and its good to see others so involved, and compasonite towards helping this poor defeanseless creature. Second I would like to state, how wrong and cruel this is of you, to hold her in captivity! Lolita is a sentient being who is probably more intelligent then her captures! Look at akk the facts about her, how she remembers the call that her family makes, 34 YEARS after she was taken, look at all the things she's learned to do so well to entertain people who dont even give a damn about her. When what we really ought to do with her is let her spend the remainder of her days with her family in the wild. I'm sure someone, somewhere has a fund so that when you finnally DO release her, she can be transported back home, so I implore those that work for these people, or anyone like the seaquarium, to please have it in your hearts to do something, anything to help free Lolita, and all the other sea creatures, that are forced into harmful labor! I know I'm going to.
The seaprison needs to let Lolita retire. Please come out on the last Saturday of every month and help us protest against the cruelty. contact me at misshaddix@hotmail.com for more info.
DO NOT GO TO THESE SEA PARKS! They are cruel and not the way anyone should see a whale or dolphin. These poor creatures are prisoners, at the mercy of their captors, performing tricks! TERRIBLE!
Also i have heard that she can still remember the call hr family makes, and that they are still living in the same area she was captured in, and that she cry out at night in the same call her family calls out in, so come on have a heart, and let the poor creature go back to her family, while they and her are all alive. please give what we have said some actual consideration. I'm fairly sure these people are willing to protest outside the amusment park if someone hasnt already tried, would you listen to us if you had a few houndred people outside your park yelling and chanting, about freeing Lolita, would that get your attention!? How would you like to be stripped from your family, by lets say a traveling circus, and you were made to do stupid, tricks that made you look like a fool, in front of thousands of people, and you NEVER got to see your family again! Seriously how would that make you feel?
In case you people at these so called "amusment" parks are reading these comments, i have a few questions for you. 1. How would you like it if someone were to but you in a tiny cage, barely twice your size, and made you do tricks just so you can eat? 2. how would you feel if you werent properly taken care of by your "guardians" and you were EXTREMELY unhealthy, and dying? 3. What would you do if you had all this done to you, and it was just for those people to get some extra money in their pockets, and to amuse people. 4. What is it going to take for you to understand that Lolita and all the other sea creatures you have locked up need to be released, to live full happy lives with their own kinds?
Beautiful, let's never give up and never listen to anyone who tells us to as long as she is alive there is hope. thank you. together we can help her pleas be heard. she cannot speak for herself we must...and will. liberate lolita
come on everyone...we can give up :( i will not stop until the word is out there!
That's the spirit lol. GO LOLiTA!!
Yah i support this all the way
Please everyone, keep posting comments to help support Lolita's optimistic Future!
Please Free Lolita!
YEAH!! i'm NOT Gonna give up until them dummies to free Lolita :) poor lil thing :( <3
To everyone who has left a comment asking why do they keep her in captivity, it is all about the money, these bastards make! they make probably somewhere in the millions if not billions a year, with these animals. If you free them, and shut these guys down, they will be screwed financialy, that is a major factor in why they wont release her, they know what they are doing is wrong, they know it is killing her, but they truely dont give a damn, because without her, they would have nothing and be nothing! I'm new to this cause, but i feel it is just horrifying at how these people are treating these poor creatures. The cage is barely twice her size, and only about 20 feet in depth, when in th wild they usualy swim about 100 miles a day i think it was, and they normally dive to 150 feet depth. In case you big wigs at the amousment parks cant figure that out, it is EXTREMELY unhealthy for her and all the other sea creatures. I believe that if we presist, and do not give up, no matter what they say, that they will have no choice but to hear us, and free Lolita!
Lolita's situation is indeed a sad one. The world needs to see her and help her become liberated as they say, and hope that she survives in the wild. Maybe Lolita's plight will help the rest of us who've seen suffering in animals spread the word about having wild animals in captivity. I work non-stop trying to fundraise and spread the word about the sanctuary where I work in Kentucky, but we get no outside funding and very few donations. There are animals like Lolita all over the world suffering. Maybe she can be the Rosa Parks of animals. Let's cross our fingers and hope something good happens!
For those of you that wish to help a lil more please feel free to visit my site and add it. www.Myspace.com/Save_the_wildlife
nichole is one of my best friends so i'm going to help her comment this as many times as we possibly can! everyone else should do the same!
I'm jus gonna keep sayin save this poor creature until something is actually DONE!! :)
SAVE LOLiTA!!
SAVE LOLiTA!!! WE MUST SAVE THiS POOR WHALE!!
FREE LOLITA!!
After having the opportunity to speak with Russ Rector : www.MiamiSeaPrison.com : today on the phone, i may be seeing this campaign differently. The Miami SeaQuarium must be closed, they should have to pay for what they have done to Lolita (and the other captives). My main focus with this campaign in honor of Lolita will now be on closing the facility and others like it. I will still try to help Lolita, but i just dont see how to, and i dont want to waste time yelling at the walls. Who can help her? They legally own her, they must go down for what they have done to her. The film will still be played in every state, but we will be looking for people to go into the belly of beast and sink it.
To the owners of the Miami Seaquarium please allow Lolita to retire. She has served you well and now it is time to work with the campaign and not fight against it. Do the right thing and let's come together with a common aim, to see Lolita sent out to retirement in dignity. Please allow her to go to a sea pool so that experts can assess how to rehabilitate her back into the ocean. Don't let her die alone, having only been able to swim repeatedly around a small tank for years on end. Thank her for her loyal service by giving her back her freedom.
Miami Sea Aquarium - search your souls for some compassion! This is no life for an orca whale who belongs in the vast waters of the ocean with its family. Alone in a concrete pool performing daily for the entertainment of gawping humans. How can you justify it? You haven't even tried to provide any enrichment for her and have spent years making false promises about improving her conditions. Your actions are indefensible. I wish EVERYONE would boycott your cruel park. Witnessing exploitation like this is not entertainment!