Community | March 04, 2011 | 3 comments

Last Surviving Orca Captured in Penn Cove, Washington, suffers in captivity

source: http://orcanetwork.org

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GwenSam
Susan Berta, of orcanetwork.org, shared a story on the orcanetwork facebook page today about Lolita, the last living Orca from the Penn Cove Orca Captures, having a tooth infection. Tooth infections can be fatal for captive marine mammals, and have lead to the death of captive Orcas.

Lolita, the oldest killer whale in captivity, was born around 1966. She has spent most of her life at the Seaquarium since her capture in 1970. The 7,000 pound whale has lived in the 20-foot deep tank for 40 years. This tank is considered substandard by marine mammal scientists.

Numerous organizations have lobbied for the release of Lolita, and many think this tooth infection could be fatal, and are in hopes it will help them promote her release from the Hertz family who owns the park.

Her family pod still swims in the waters around the Puget Sound. Marine mammal experts even think her mother is still alive. Lolita’s birthright is the L25 matriline of the “L” pod of the Southern Resident orca community in the Pacific Northwest. Lolita’s mother is believed to be Ocean Sun, approx. age 82, who still resides with Lolita’s family swimming freely in the open waters where Lolita was captured.

orcanetwork.org 's Howard Garret posted a comment on the tooth infection story, saying: "Her life is in danger where she is. The proposal for her retirement would be completely safe and would provide her the chance for a long healthy life and contact with her family."

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/03/04/lolita-the-killer-whale-recuperating-from-t...
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3 comments // Last Surviving Orca Captured in Penn Cove, Washington, suffers in captivity

  • CrocRoc67
    • 0
      CrocRoc67  

    • It is amazing how Susan Berta and Howard Garret and the rest of the well meaning people that want her moved have been all over the internet spreading their misinformation. They want her in a sea pen...claiming some moral and ethical superiority. But wishing you could help doesn't give you the skills needed to help an animal like Lolita. Wanting to help doesn't make you qualified to help an animal like Lolita. And a few supportive Facebook posts and comments on web pages doesn't give you the financial and technical support it takes to help an animal like Lolita.

      Garret likes to say that his plan carries "no risk" and she would be "completely safe" in their hands. But if a medical emergency like this happened while she was in a sea pen...she would be dead. And to add insult to injury...they would celebrate her death as a victory like they did when the activists killed Keiko.

      Thank goodness Lolita is in a facility with superior medical care allowing this infection to be handled in responsible way and she continues to live.

    • 1 year ago
  • David_Desertspring
    • -1
      David_Desertspring  

    • The assholes who captured this Orca as well as the assholes who allowed her to be captured should be drowned. The assholes who continue to profit from her captivity should be fed to the fishes. Wouldn't it be something if she could be rehabilitated and protected as a wild Orca again?

    • 1 year ago
  • jefftego
    • -1
      jefftego  

    • Thanks for posting this.

      It's time for Lolita to be retired to a sea pen near her family. Hopefully she will recover from this infection. It is hard to believe she has lived in that tank for 40 years. I've seen it firsthand and it is shockingly small.

      Retire Lolita.

    • 1 year ago
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