We write with the heartbreaking news that Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut, also known as Lolita and Tokitae, has died in captivity in the Miami Seaquarium. In March of 2023, after activists spent years fighting for her freedom, the Miami Seaquarium announced it would work with Friends of Lolita to release Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut back to her home waters in the Pacific Northwest. We lament that she passed away still a prisoner, never again knowing the open ocean or the joys of being with her pod, and we hope the story of her life will help bring an end to the terrible injustice that is orca captivity.
You can read and share “Why We Fight for Nonhuman Rights: Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s Story"–originally published on the 51st anniversary of the Penn Cove orca captures that led to her imprisonment–on our blog: |
We know many of our supporters are among the activists who fought for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut for so long. Thank you. Together, we will continue fighting for nonhuman animals to be recognized as rights-holders—not things or property to be exploited, as Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut was.
The NhRP |
