Chris Lagergren, Author at Hope 4 Lolita

Miami Seaquarium in Hot Water for Endangering Orca Trainers

Posted on Animal Legal Defense Fund November 7, 2013

Captivity Industry on Trial as ALDF Urges Protective Barriers for All U.S. Marine Theme Parks

For immediate release:

Contact:
Lisa Franzetta, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Megan Backus, Animal Legal Defense Fund
orca-southern-resident-by-miles-ritter-article-image-x2

Southern resident orca. (CC Miles Ritter)

MIAMI—Today, the national nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) sent a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), seeking enforcement of safety standards to protect workers from captive orcas at the Miami Seaquarium. OSHA currently relies upon the “general duty clause” of the 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act (“the Act”) to protect orca trainers from injury and death, and ALDF’s letter argues that this clause should apply to every orca exhibitor in the marine display industry, from SeaWorld to the Miami Seaquarium. Today’s letter also requests greater investigation of industry safety violations as well as full enforcement of the Act’s general duty clause which OSHA interprets to require distance between employees and captive orcas on workplace premises during performances.

About Lolita (TokiTae) - 11/17/2013

Protest September 14, 2013

Turned a few people away from visiting the Miami SeaPrison today. The Miami Dade County Police Department were in their typical harassing mood, especially the police officer wearing the military style hat in the video.

Protests & Events - 09/14/2013

Protest/Demo – August 24, 2013 Miami SeaQuarium

Location:
Miami SeaQuarium
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway
Key Biscayne, FL 33149

Date: August 24, 2013 Time: 12-2pm

Hello Friends!

We will be protesting and handing out leaflets to people informing them of the 43 years Lolita has been in captivity. Please join us to support Lolita being retired. She has made Miami Seaquarium enough money. Please help make a big statement with your support. There are plenty of signs so if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Join the event on Facebook!

Please share this, show up, and invite your friends. Thanks!

Parking:

Protests & Events - 08/11/2013

Empty The Tanks – A Worldwide Protest! July 27, 2013

This is the 1st annual Empty the Tanks protest. This is a day for everyone around the world to stand up against marine mammal captivity. The abuse and exploitation of these sentient beings has no place in the 21st century.

On July 27th, protests and educational events will be held all over world in front of marine mammal parks and aquariums. If the park is exploiting marine mammals for entertainment and profit then we want people out front creating noise and awareness. The only way to close their doors for good is to get the general public to stop buying tickets. We need your voice, your posters, and your dedication to seeing an end to the captivity industry.

Please join us on July 27th at your local marine park or aquarium. Here is the list of protest locations so far. If you do not see your city or local marine park on the list please contact me about creating your own Empty the Tank protest.

Main Even Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/633576009989898/

** More locations to be added soon.

**Please only RSVP to the events you are going to attend and contact the email below if you are interested in holding a Empty the Tanks protest in your town!!!! Let’s make this huge!

Please join us on July 27th and tell the captivity industry that enough is enough! It is time to Empty the Tanks!

Protests & Events - 05/23/2013

ALDF, PETA Petition Floats New Strategy to Free Lolita

January 23rd, 2013

Feds Must Protect Orca Under Endangered Species Act or Supply a Legal Reason for Exclusion, Groups Say

For immediate release

Contact:
Lisa Franzetta, ALDF
Shakira Croce, PETA

According to the settlement agreement reached after the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), PETA, the Orca Network, and four individuals filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regarding the orca Lolita’s unlawful exclusion from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the agency must now either include Lolita in the ESA listing or supply a legal reason to exclude her. PETA and ALDF submitted a petition today to the NMFS calling for Lolita to be listed as endangered, along with her free-living family, the Pacific Northwest’s Southern Resident orcas. Lolita has been confined to the smallest orca tank in North America at the Miami Seaquarium for more than 40 years and has been without a companion since 1980, when her tank mate, Hugo, reportedly died of a brain aneurysm after slamming his head into the side of their concrete tank.

“By excluding Lolita from the endangered listing, the government allows the Seaquarium to keep Lolita isolated in a tiny barren tank and force her to perform with no protection from the sun—all of which would violate the ESA’s protection against ‘harm’ and ‘harassment,'” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders.

“ALDF and PETA are calling on the government to extend the ESA’s minimal protections to Lolita and will continue to push for her return to the ocean and her family—where she belongs,” says ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells.

Southern Resident orcas were critically depleted in the 1960s and ’70s, when dozens of them—including Lolita—were captured for public display. Captive members of a species are, by default, to be included in an endangered listing, and NMFS is prohibited from considering commercial interests—such as the Seaquarium’s—in its listing decisions.

About Lolita (TokiTae) - 01/23/2013

Color Version – The taking of Lolita – Penn Cove, Washington – SeaWorld

This is a heartbreaking color version and testimony of what happened in Penn Cove.

About Lolita (TokiTae) - 05/18/2012

Protest/Demo – May 5, 2012 Miami SeaQuarium

Location:
Miami SeaQuarium
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway
Key Biscayne, FL 33149

Time: 12-2pm

Hello Friends!

We will be protesting and handing out leaflets to people informing them of the 41 plus years Lolita has been in captivity. Please join us to support Lolita being retired. She has made Miami Seaquarium enough money. Please help make a big statement with your support. There are plenty of signs so if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Join the event on Facebook!

Please share this, show up, and invite your friends. Thanks!

Parking:

Protests & Events - 05/02/2012

December 13, 2011 Miami SeaQuarium Demo

We passed out over 150 leaflets to Miami SeaQuarium visitors. We will not stop educating people that captivity is wrong and that there is no educational value whatsoever in going to these sea prisons.

Protests & Events - 12/04/2011

White Party 2011 – Miami SeaQuarium – Deafening Fireworks

For over 7 minutes Lolita, dolphins, sea lions, manatees, sharks, and birds were subjected to this outrageous display of fireworks in addition to the loud techno music which was playing at the Miami SeaQuarium. Arthur Hertz doesn’t care about the animals, he cares about himself!

Protests & Events - 11/26/2011

Rally for the Environment with Occupy Miami 11/3/2011 1:30-3pm

The rally will be held across the street from the InterContinental Hotel, at the south end of Bayfront Park.

WHEN:
Saturday, October 22nd – 1:30 to 3:30 pm
100 Chopin Plaza, Miami Florida (Downtown Miami – 2 blocks South of Bayside)

FACEBOOK EVENT:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=235606519830391
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=241569719225607

Join this Rally for the Environment with Occupy Miami for a ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY to get YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGE to 700 journalists! This opportunity will never happen again. JOIN our coalition of supporting organizations as we stand outside the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, UNITED to rally on behalf of all critical environmental issues happening in South Florida. Over 700 Environmental Journalists from all around the world are flying into Miami for a conference this week (Society of Environmental Journalists)!! We strongly encourage all environmental groups to share this event and attend the “Rally for the Environment” Saturday at 1:30pm. But we strongly encourage you to make contact with them all week with your brochures and leaflets!!!

Protests & Events - 10/22/2011