For the Lammi people, killer whales are sacred. These eponymous “people of the sea” do not differentiate between their killer whale relatives and humans. They have missed an important member of their family for over 50 years: Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut… You may know her as Lolita. The kidnappers kidnapped her from her oceanfront home and her mother, believed to be a still living killer whale named Ocean Sun. Lolita currently lives in the smallest killer whale aquarium in the world at the Miami Marine Aquarium, which was recently cited for many federal animal welfare violations, including feeding Lolita bad fish, cutting back on her food intake, and forcing her to do certain tricks that probably damaged her, all against the advice of the institution’s veterinarians.
© Terrell K. Newby, Ph.D.In a historic approach to reuniting with Lolita, the Lummi people are redoubling their efforts and teaming up with lawyers to influence the course of events. Two Lummy elders are set to sue the Saltwater Aquarium under the Native American Burial and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a federal law used to return “items” of cultural significance to Native Americans. They would demand the return of the Oceanarium Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to her family – for the first time the law will be applied to a living being.
Elders Rainell Morris and Ellie Kinley hope that there will be no need for a lawsuit. They hope the Marine Aquarium will work with them. Lummi is making plans with the Whale Sanctuary Project for her highly anticipated release to her original home in the waters off Ocean sun…
“We know how Ocean sun feels like her daughter is still enslaved, ”Morris said. “We feel that healing can begin when Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut bring home and free. “
The constant quest for Lolita’s salvation touches on the very essence of indigenous peoples’ rights. Her capture and imprisonment is an open wound for Lummi.
Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut has been without the company of another killer whale almost since she was abducted from her home at sea more than half a century ago. Her former tank mate Hugo died in 1980 after hitting his head against a wall several times. Lummi see Lolita as a relative who was abducted from their territory, where they lived together for thousands of years.
Feeling trapped and isolated during #quarantine?
Lolita has been locked in this small tank for nearly 50 years. She last saw another killer whale in 1980, when her tank mate, Hugo, died after hitting his head against a wall. #FreeLolita pic.twitter.com/BhBoAjiaFj
– MAP (@map) April 24, 2020
The growing public pressure to keep cetaceans out of marine parks has been driven in part by PETA’s efforts. Our action warnings, protests and lawsuits, filed under the Federal Endangered Species Act and the Animal Protection Act, continued the campaign to free Lolita.
PETA has gathered outside the Miami-Dade Attorney’s office, Catherine Fernandez Rundle, to call for brutality charges against the mistreatment of the Lolita killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium.
Keep pushing to retire Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to a seaside sanctuary where she can feel the waves, hear the screams of her capsule, and finally have some semblance of natural life. She deserves to be with her family.
Talk about Lolita today