[Animals] Animal rights group wants transparency for captive orca at Miami marine park

[FazzNoth]

The animal rights group that unearthed reports of poor treatment of Lolita the Killer Whale, and later revealed the orca's illness, has appealed to Miami-Dade County officials for transparency about her current status and care.

"In addition to Lolita’s potential transfer, we want to ensure that Miami Seaquarium has already made substantial changes to ensure that she is currently receiving appropriate care," wrote Jared Goodman, general counsel for animal law of the PETA Foundation, in a letter sent Monday.

"Hopefully this is nothing to worry about but there is a crane at MSQ today," read a post on Facebook last week with a photo of a lift over Lolita's stadium at the marine park.

Goodman's letter, sent to county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Raquel Regalado, followed weeks of virtual silence about Lolita. Last month, Levine Cava and Regalado announced an arrangement with the orca's owner, Miami Seaquarium, for an assessment of her health by independent veterinarians.

That agreement, plus the Seaquarium's decision to retire Lolita as an entertainer, renewed a frenzy of speculation and optimism about the potential release of the orca that has been a captive performer at the marine park for more than half a century.

The actions followed PETA's divulging, a month earlier, that the orca, believed to be in her mid 50s, suffered from pneumonia. The Seaquarium never denied the report, but at the time only acknowledged Lolita was "under the weather." 

In his letter, Goodman also referenced even more damning disclosures by PETA last fall. That's when the animal rights advocacy organization revealed allegations by a former Seaquarium veterinarian that the orca was "fed her rotten fish, required her to engage in behaviors that harmed her, and held her in such poor water quality that it injured her eyes."

With federal and state agencies choosing not to exert regulatory watchdog authority over the Seaquarium's care of Lolita, it's up to Miami-Dade County officials, PETA says. In the regulatory vacuum that now exists, PETA said it is calling on county officials to "act immediately and transparently concerning Lolita’s care and their plans for her future," which the organization said it supports transferring her to a seaside sanctuary 

"The agencies that could exercise jurisdiction are not doing so," Goodman said. "So we are left with the county, which has assured us they will do the right thing, but then has been pretty much silence."

 

USDA exempts Miami Seaquarium orca, Pacific porpoises from oversight
Lolita, known as Tokitae by U.S. orca advocates, is now in the hands of a different managerial team at the Miami Seaquarium.

The new company in charge, The Dolphin Co., also owns three other Florida marine animal attractions, including Gulf World in the Panhandle and Marineland in St. Augustine. The company's CEO, Eduardo Albor, has not responded to numerous requests for an interview about the company's plans for its Florida parks.

The Dolphin Co.'s license to run the Seaquarium, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, carved out the orca and the Pacific porpoises that share her tank from the federal agency's regulatory authority.

After the county unveiled the agreement with the Seaquarium for the independent health exam for Lolita, PETA sent a list of recommended veterinarians to Commissioner Regalado.

Goodman said Regalado has not responded. So far, however, it does not appear that independent exam has taken place. Regalado did not respond to a request last week from the Palm Beach Post and the USA Today Florida Network for comment.

More Info: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/animal-rights-group-wants-transparency-for-captive-orca-at-miami-marine-park/ar-AAWkEgn?ocid=BingNewsSearch