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.