United for Lolita
On Friday, April 1st 2016, Miami and London UNITED to rally against Lolita’s captors. Kidnapped from her family when she was just four years old. Lolita has been living at Miami Seaquarium ever since, in a tank so small it violates Animal Welfare Act regulations.
Organized by Shut Down Palace, coordinated protests were held on Lolita’s behalf at the Miami Seaquarium and Arle Captial in London. Palace Entertainments, owners of Miami Seaquarium and Lolita, is the US-operating subsidiary of Parques Reunido, a European-based company owned by Candover, a private equity fund managed by London-based Arle Capital Investments.
Speaker: Clive Martin – Orca Rescues Foundation.
Campaign Work
- Designed a badge, and T-Shirt to raise funds for the event and to donate to Orca Network,
- Created graphics and videos for social media promotion.
- Organised a powerful, creative protest outside Arle Capital with Shut Down Palace and Team Toki UK.
- Designed educational postcards to hand out to the public and banners for the day.
- Created a visual campaign by using 45 numbered signs which depicted the years Lolita has spent in captivity. The back of each one had a different word to describe people’s feelings about her.
- Marine Connection gathered video messages to Arle Capital from Howard Garrett, Tim Gorski and Paul Spong which were played through a laptop connected to a speaker.
- Filmed and photographed the event.
- Our press release written by Caroline Burgess-Pike secured an article in The Sunday Times exposing Arle Capital’s involvement with Lolita’s captivity which led to further press articles:
- Independent: Activists fight to free Lolita the whale after 46 years of captivity
- Sunday Express: Should lonely killer whale Lolita be freed?
- People: Activists Fight to Free Lolita, the World’s Longest-Held Captive Orca
”The eyes of the world are on the decision-makers in both places, and we are looking for a genuine awareness that holding her in that tiny tub to wring the last dollar out of her while letting her die there is profoundly immoral. Massive human energies are now dedicated to seeing Lolita/Tokitae taken to a protected cove in a peaceful bay in the heart of the San Juan Islands, where she’ll feel the healthful waters she remembers in that massive cerebral cortex of hers, to regain her stamina and strength, to explore the waters she was born and raised in, and to one day meet and communicate with her family, whose unique vocal signals she calls in every day. She has always been ready to come home. When we will be ready to bring her there?
Howard GarrettOrca Network
I was incredibly honoured to have a mention at Superpod5 from Howard Garrett, president of Orca Network, along with our teamwork between Team Toki UK and Shut Down Palace USA. Special thanks to Caroline Burgess-Pike for securing The Sunday Times article.
Meet Lolita, the orca kept in a tiny pool for 46 yrs, owned by UK fund @Jonathan__Leake https://t.co/QIODVMwp2s pic.twitter.com/tSm4OvrQzL
— Sunday Times News (@ST_Newsroom) April 29, 2016
”What an amazing demonstration in London yesterday! Every one of the photos show incredible creativity and dedication. This is sidewalk theater of the highest degree. Going through the photos I think I met every person there, and I hope to meet them again some day. There are no doubt some Arle executives going over these photos and muttering things that can’t be printed on Facebook.
Howard GarrettOrca Network
”Thanks, everyone, for your support from across the pond – Sandra Pollard author of Puget Sound Whales for Sale: The Fight to End Orca Hunting (The History Press), which tells Lolita’s story and that of all the other Southern Residents brutally captured from our waters.
Sandra PollardAuthor
”Thanks to everyone for yesterday – let us hope that together, we can help change Lolita’s life for the better and allow her to return to her home waters!
Margaux DoddsMarine Connection
Activists fight to free Lolita, the world's longest-held captive orca https://t.co/5n45WIJvs4 via @PEOPLEPets pic.twitter.com/qjUOisPHEQ
— People (@people) April 27, 2016
”I was proud to be a part of it with all those awesome warriors. On the train on the way back to Belgium some people saw my Free Lolita and asked me to explain. Some people said that these beautiful creatures belong in the sea and not in captivity. Someone said that I was right to help the orcas and to continue to fight for their freedom. For the rest of the trip home I could not stop thinking about Lolita, Tilikum and others orcas. To all those amazing people who fight for these beautiful creatures. Thank you all for what you’re doing. Respect to all.
Anne DuboisCampaigner
Credit: I am not captivated by captivity frame designed by Empty The Tanks
