[Closed] 'Blackfish' Backlash: Fan Pressure Leads Willie Nelson to Cancel SeaWorld Concert

Root Canal: SeaWorld Gets Drilled In New Killer Whale Teeth Report
08/17/2016

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/root-canal-seaworld-gets-drilled-in-new-killer-whale_us_57b277b3e4b04147250f74b3

World's Loneliest Orca Is So Sick She Can Barely Even See
By Sarah V Schweig Aug. 18, 2016

Lolita, the lone orca at the Miami Seaquarium who was captured in the wild at age 4, has spent the past 46 years in the tiniest orca tank in America. She hasn't seen another orca in 26 years.

Newly released court testimony, which had been confidential until now, reveals that she isn't just the world's loneliest orca — she's also one of the world's sickest.

The list of Lolita's mental and physical health problems is extensive. Here's just a little of what experts, who visited Lolita to observe her living conditions, had to say about Lolita's health:

"[Lolita] has been diagnosed with a pterygium, also called 'surfer's eye.' This is caused by excessive exposure to UV radiation [and] leads to discomfort … and can cause a significant alteration in visual function," Dr. Pedro Javier Gallego Reyes, veterinarian and cofounder of marine biology association Odyssea wrote, citing the lack of shade in Lolita's tiny pool as a contributing factor.

Essentially, Lolita cannot escape the sunlight, so she's getting to the point that she can't even see.

Reyes also said that Lolita appears to be a "chronically ill patient with frequently recurring infections and mildly impaired kidney function … This frequent medication can have, and may have already had, negative impacts on her liver and kidneys."

Another expert agreed. "Lolita appeared to be under a constant stream of medications, spanning from eye drops to antibiotics and heavy painkillers," Maddelena Bearzi, president of Ocean Conservation Society, wrote. "In 2015 alone, there was not a day during the course of the year that she wasn't under one or more medications … Killer whales in the wild do not need human-made medications and their life span is longer than that of their captive counterparts."

Lolita's mental health doesn't appear much better than her physical health. According to former SeaWorld trainer John Hargrove, "The animal behavior records reveal that Lolita has a poorer behavior rating than any orca I have worked with in my career."

Lolita showed signs of stress and frustrated and bored behavior, like head-bobbing and jaw-popping, which has damaged Lolita's teeth (they're permanently damaged and have been drilled more than a dozen times to stave off infection). Poor behavior puts everyone at risk, according to Hargrove. "The significance of this is that when an animal, especially an orca, is failing that much, they become very frustrated and aggression becomes highly probable," he wrote.

Lolita's tank is so small, Ingrid Visser, orca expert with the Orca Research Trust, observed, that she appeared to stand on her tail on the floor of her tank to raise her head, "using the tank floor, in the same way a person could 'handstand' and raise their legs up and down. Such 'tail-standing' has not been reported in the literature for a wild orca," Visser wrote.

Lolita also shares her tank with dolphins who consistently "rake" her, scraping her skin with their teeth.

According to PETA, the plaintiff of a lawsuit against the Miami Seaquarium for Lolita's treatment, the Seaquarium has been hiding evidence of Lolita's clear physical and mental suffering. "PETA is doing all that it can to end her suffering and get her to a seaside sanctuary," Tracy Reiman, PETA executive vice president, said in press release provided to The Dodo, "where she could finally feel ocean currents, swim freely, and hear wild orcas' calls."

If you want to see Lolita's life change, click here to sign a petition.

The Miami Seaquarium did not immediately reply to The Dodo's request for comment.

Scroll down to end of article for petition.
Video in article.

https://www.thedodo.com/lolita-sick-testimony-1978125917.html?tdtw&utm_content=buffere061d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://oceana.org/blog/starved-salmon-unique-clan-orcas-slipping-towards-extinction?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=081816Blog&utm_campaign=ResponsibleFishing#

New Victory for Animal Rights! Baltmore National Aquarium Frees Dolphins to Oceanside Habitat

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/27099/20160819/new-victory-for-animal-rights-baltmore-national-aquarium-frees-dolphins-to-oceanside-habitat.htm

Lolita's Tank Is Substandard, Marine Mammal Commission Rules

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/lolitas-tank-is-substandard-marine-mammal-commission-rules-8019582

Can you imagine being kept isolated and in these conditions for all these long years. She's made them lots of money. Long past time to treat her humanely.

Film on belugas criticizes Georgia Aquarium

http://www.myajc.com/news/lifestyles/environment/film-on-belugas-criticizes-georgia-aquarium/nsKp7/

Yawn

Ocean Slime Spreading Quickly Across the Earth
Toxic algae blooms, perhaps accelerated by ocean warming and other climate shifts, are spreading, poisoning marine life and people.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/toxic-algae/

12 Things Lolita Would Want Miami Seaquarium Visitors to Know

http://www.peta.org/features/lolita-miami-seaquarium-know/

(tu)

Feds want people to stop frolicking with Hawaii’s tired, stressed-out dolphins

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/news/nation-world/national/article97443237.html#storylink=cpy

(tu)

I don't know how anyone can take PETA seriously.

Seven Ways Congress Is Trying To Destroy The Endangered Species Act

http://earthjustice.org/features/political-animals

Message removed by a moderator. Review board rules and forum etiquette. Replies to this post may be likewise removed or deleted.

(tu)

I don't know how anyone can take PETA seriously.

I do like their ads.

Message Removed by a moderator.

(tu)

I don't know how anyone can take PETA seriously.

I do like their ads.

Show me ONE example of a PETA member that is female and attractive walking around like this.

All talk...

Time for some Dolphin fillet and Chips made from GMO potatoes.

You too, Rotorhead?
Very disappointing to see and be the brunt of such adolescent behavior.

(tu)

I don't know how anyone can take PETA seriously.

I do like their ads.

Show me ONE example of a PETA member that is female and attractive walking around like this.

All talk...

She's dating a Packer - Forever Unclean

This escalated quickly. Time to grab GMO popcorn

Show me ONE example of a PETA member that is female and attractive walking around like this.

All talk...

Here is one walking...

'Paradise Lost'
How To Help Our Oceans Before It's Too Late

http://m.spiegel.de/international/world/a-1107252.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer=http://lm.facebook.com/lsr.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Finternational%2Fworld%2Fsylvia-earle-talks-about-the-depletion-of-ocean-life-a-1107252.html&ext=1472074152&hash=AcneAv4jGHVSSwybOFM1-w7rha9wYO54rLbNLcaeh5brxw&_rdr

Black And White Lives Matter

by S B Julian — August 16, 2016

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/08/16/black-and-white-lives-matter/

RIC O’BARRY ON FOOD DEPRIVATION AND DOLPHIN TRAINING

https://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/ric-obarry-on-food-deprivation-and-dolphin-training/