Cruelty to Endangered Orca Lolita Prompts Lawsuit Against Miami Seaquarium

July 1, 2015

A coalition including PETA, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Orca Network, and Orca Network Director Howard Garrett hit the Miami Seaquarium with a lawsuit contending that the facility’s imprisonment of Lolita the suffering orca—who’s currently being held without the company of any others of her kind in a cramped tank with no protection from the harsh sun—constitutes a violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under the protection of the ESA, which Lolita was granted following a successful petition from the coalition, the orca’s imprisonment and forced performances appear to constitute an unlawful “take,” meaning that she’s being harmed, harassed, or wounded.

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 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind