Tag Archives: Lolita

Orcas in San Juan

10 Sunday May 2015

Posted by in Pleasure, Travel

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Lolita, slave to entertainment

Lolita, slave to entertainment

This post is dedicated to Tokitae who was abducted from the waters of Penn Cove in Puget Sound for almost 46 years. If you’ve seen Blackfish the movie you have some insight to her story. She has been living at Miami Seaquarium all these decades and for most of them alone after her cell mate Hugo died after he repeatedly slammed his head against the concrete wall.

Tomorrow is a very special day for Tokitae (oh, you may know her as Lolita, the name they gave her in Miami). Tomorrow a ruling takes affect changing her status to an endangered species like the members of her family that are free in Puget Sound (their dwindling numbers are due to the capture of so many in the 70s). While this doesn’t change her captive status (yet), it is a move in the right direction as there is a plan in place to move Tokitae to a sea pen in the waters of the San Juan Islands.

Free J pod orca does a tail slap!

Free J pod orca does a tail slap!

See, Tokitae still vocalizes in the dialect of her family and her family members are still alive, likely even her mom. There is hope that the next ruling will force her release and the well thought out retirement plan will move in to action. If you want to watch Lolita’s story you can watch the documentary “Lolita: Slave to Entertainment“.

For me the visit to San Juan was the highlight, it was a dream coming true! See San Juan Islands’ waters are home to many orcas – both resident pods (Southern Resident Killer Whales or SRKW) and transients. We drove from Seattle and took the leisure route with the only “must do” is our ferry ride from Anacortes to Friday Harbour late in the afternoon. We took a short ferry ride from Mukilteo to Clinton and I was truly in heaven – mountains, the Pacific Ocean. It was bliss. The drive was gorgeous. We stopped in Langley on Whidbey Island and stopped in at the Orca Network (it was actually Welcome the Whales parade day although we couldn’t stay for it) and then Penn Cove where Tokitae was taken from.

123 West over on the right

123 West over on the right

We got in to Friday Harbour after an hour long ferry ride, checked in to 123 West which was perfect for us – new, comfortable, right in the town and such friendly staff! With nothing really planned this first evening we went and grabbed some drinks and soaked in the views before we decided to head out to Lime Kiln Park to watch the sunset and hopefully see some orcas from shore. J, K and L pod often play off the coast of the park for visitors to enjoy!

Sunset in Lime Kiln

Sunset in Lime Kiln

While the sunset was stunning there were no whales hanging out, just a seal. I wasn’t discouraged though having an excursion booked on the Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching the next day.

Jeff had called, from Maya’s, while were having drinks the day before and asked if we were flexible with our time. We had been booked for 4pm but there is more likelihood for sightings earlier in the day when other boats are out. Of course seeing whales was a priority, so whatever it took. I was ecstatic when Jeff called that morning and said that J pod was spotted off the island and as an orca fanatic they are my favourite pod with 3 calves!

The trip was fantastic, mind-blowing, life-changing… Captain James Maya and his first mate Jeff made the trip even more enjoyable with their knowledge and love for orcas and everything in that ocean. We also had Melissa Sehgal on the trip who once served with Sea Shepherd in Taiji Japan and moved to San Juan Island to be closer to the amazing orcas and other sea life!

J pod Male

J pod Male

We had porpoises play on off the bow, hung out stellar sea lions lounging and of course the orcas! I saw my first male, who I think was J27 Blackberry or J26 Mike whose dorsals are just so majestic! 

Baby J Orca

Baby J Orca

Of course we were almost about to head in but before we did Captain James made sure to find us one of the babies, J52 was swimming close to shore with it’s mother and seeing them made the day complete.

Now if you are interested in orcas and ever want to learn more, message me! I could talk with you for hours about them! I hope to make it to Super Pod next year (to visit with my new friends Jeff, James and Melissa and the orcas) and some day spend, at a minimum, a summer on San Juan Island. If you make it to the island make sure you book a trip out with Captain James and Jeff. We might be lucky enough to share a trip out together, if when I make that dream a reality!

Friendly Sea Lions

Friendly Sea Lions

Lounging Stellar Sea Lion

Lounging Stellar Sea Lion

A rant against captivity

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in About me

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Growing up I loved dolphins and whales. Even killer whales who were portrayed as savages in the movie Orca. I thought that I would grow up to be a marine zoologist and work with these animals in some capacity. Well, my challenges with science sort of put an end to that dream but I did work summers at Marineland in a hut called the Hungry Squirrel. As a 13 year old it wasn’t a bad job – pouring pop and scooping popcorn for tourists AND I got to be close to the animals I loved.  In the winters I would play catch with the dolphins at the indoor aquarium – It was great!

Of course I didn’t think about the animals lives before they arrived at King Waldorf’s castle (if you have seen the show at Marineland you know what I am referring to!).   Now you won’t catch me anywhere near an establishment like Marineland let alone working at one.  I have learned over the years about the horrible hunts and slaughters and just how dolphins and orcas think and behave in the wild. (Don’t criticize me for my late coming to this party, Ric O’Barry the trainer of Flipper used to help capture dolphins down in Miami before becoming a voice against captivity)

Blackfish the movieLast week I saw the movie Blackfish at Hot Docs and years ago I cried sobbed through the Canadian debut of The Cove.  Both of these movies focus on captivity and the horrible acts that are done to support the billion dollar industry of marine mammal parks like Marineland and Seaworld. Both movies have left me thinking and trying to figure out what I can do to help.

Dolphins are still being slaughtered in Taiji, Japan for the sake of feeding the pipeline of dolphins needed for aquariums and swim with dolphin programs in tourist destinations.  Tilikum is still in his prison at Seaworld and he has 3 trainer deaths on his record. Another orca named Lolita also has a film focused on her and the plight for her retirement after 40+ years working at the Miami Seaquarium – you can watch it on Youtube. This movie was released 10 years ago and this poor killer whale still resides in a small pool that is actually illegal for her size.

Tilikum's dorsal fin doesn't stand erect like his free counterparts

Tilikum’s dorsal fin doesn’t stand erect like his free counterparts

Now whether or not you believe the whistleblowers at Marineland or feel that this is a free-market and these attractions create jobs and feed the economy, you have to have some empathy for these majestic animals when you see them in these small pools forced to jump and spin and splash in order to be fed.  It is belittling and unnecessary!

Some things to think about

  • Orca’s can live way past 50 years old in the wild – they believe that there are females in Lolita’s pod that are 90+ years old
  • Orca’s stay with their mothers for their entire lives and each pod has a unique sound that they make much like a dialect
  • Dolphins and orcas have to consciously take their breathes – the dolphin that played Flipper, after retirement, drowned herself by not taking her next breath.  She essentially committed suicide while in captivity
Lolita doing her thing

Lolita doing her thing

I challenge you to watch the three films (I do have to warn you that some of it is emotionally devastating to watch including the capture of orcas in 1970 in the Pacific Ocean where the mother whales waited on the other side of the nets crying as their calves tried to get to them and away from their captures – it still haunts me a week later).

I beg you to not patronize Marineland or Seaworld or even resorts that have swim with dolphin programs.  Money is a huge motivator and hopefully some day there is no market for places that keep their animals as prisoners and slaves.

Check out the campaign to save Lolita