Saving Lolita Special ~ Captive Orcas

Help work towards Marine Captivity Ban! Stop the Miami Seaquarium.
HELP BRING LOLITA HOME!
Shelby Proie on CNN Headline News with Lolita's story. (more)

Saving Lolita Special, six part special on YouTube:


Saving Lolita Special -part 1
From: PSam1776
Added: April 29, 2008
youtube.com/watch?v=gLM-BJzHDnU&feature=related
posted by PSam1776 on YouTube. Part 1 of 6.
daring and controversial documentary that may just change the way we view wild animals in entertainment.

On Mother's Day 2002, Valerie Silidker and Tim Gorski set out to uncover the real life story of the world's oldest performing whale. Their journey delivered them from Miami Florida to San Juan Island. The intimate, heart-rending tale unfolded before them as they unearthed many heavily guarded secrets of the multi-billion dollar Marine Theme Park industry.

Viewers travel with Gorski and Silidker as they visit Lolita's immediate family in the wild and interview the renowned orca biologist Ken Balcomb who wants her back.

A whale hunter hired to capture Lolita and hide crucial evidence finally comes clean after 33 years.

Former Flipper trainer turned activist/writer Ric O'Barry exposes the lies as he speaks out against the industry, which made him a star.

And self-proclaimed "abusement park" slayer Russ Rector takes no prisoners in his relentless campaign against marine mammal exploitation. Together, armed with little more than a camera and a voice, they confront a very powerful industry.

Experience the sad life of Lolita the killer whale who has been caught in a net of lies for over 3 decades. Littered with Haunting Images and painful sound bites, Lolita: Slave to Entertainment offers audiences an engaging peek behind closed doors, exposing an entire industry of injustices, greed, and lies. Make no mistakes, this is no "Free Willy"; there is no Hollywood ending here.

This Provocative and Revealing must-see documentary uniquely addresses man's relationship with wildlife. It speaks not only to animal lovers and activists, but to anyone at all who may have been duped by marine theme park propaganda. In fact, this is the film that an entire industry would rather you not see. And whether you like it or not, Lolita is assured to ignite conversation -- if not heated debate.
Category: Education
Tags: whales dolphins Documentary orca lolita

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www.orcanetwork.org/captivity/captivity.html

Update: January 23, 2008 (Newsweek magazine) For more than a decade, Howard Garrett has worked tirelessly out of his home on Whidbey Island, Wash., to return an orca whale named Lolita to her native waters. In 1995--inspired by the campaign to release Keiko, the "Free Willy" whale--he teamed with local politicians, offering the Florida aquarium where Lolita works a million dollars to reunite her with the pod of whales she grew up with, off the coast of Washington state. In 1997, he spent two years in Miami--unpaid--working to garner public attention for Lolita's cause; after nearly four decades in captivity, she's served her time, Garrett believes. Every year since then, his organization, the nonprofit advocacy group Orca Network, has held a beachside commemoration of the day Lolita was plucked from her family in the icy waters of Puget Sound.
But 12 years is a long time for anyone to stay committed--even in the Pacific Northwest, where the orca is treated as an icon. "There have been times I've wanted to give up," Garrett says. "Everyone keeps telling us it's hopeless, and even when there's a surge of enthusiasm, eventually it dwindles."
In late November, however, Garrett got a call that, in spite of his usual doubts, stirred the fight inside him. Raul Julia-Levy, the Hollywood producer and son of actor Raul Julia, wanted to sign on to help free Lolita, and with him, promised to bring every last Hollywood contact he could persuade. He immediately put Garrett on the phone with the wife of Jean Claude Van Damme, and within days, had a list that included Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford and even 50 Cent. Now Levy says he's got a benefit concert in the works that will include R&B singer Truth Hurts, Snoop Dogg and 50 (who did not return NEWSWEEK requests for comment, though Levy says "the man loves animals like you have no idea"). Nearly a dozen local politicians have signed on, as well. "We have some of the most powerful Hollywood producers behind this campaign, and I have spoken with some of the most prominent scientists in this field," Levy says. "This beautiful animal does not deserve to die in a stinky little tank, and we are not going to take less than a full victory." (more)