© 2026 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ending Orca Breeding Isn't Enough, Seaquarium Protester Says

WLRN Public Media | By Kate Stein
Published March 17, 2016 at 4:46 PM EDT
Lolita the orca performs at the Miami Seaquarium, where she's lived for 45 years.
Leonardo DaSilva/Flickr
Lolita the orca performs at the Miami Seaquarium, where she's lived for 45 years.

A sea change has taken place at SeaWorld.

The company announced Thursday it will end captive breeding of its orcas. Animal rights’ activists have called the decision a positive step. But they also say SeaWorld could go farther.Jeff Geragifounded Miami’s Animal Activists Network. Almost every Sunday for the past six years, he’s protested outside Miami’s Seaquarium, which has one orca. He says both the Seaquarium and SeaWorld should retire the orcas they currently have in captivity.

 

"We applaud them for moving in the right direction, but we just wish they would move a little faster," Geragi said. "They could turn themselves into the leaders here if they retired these animals to sea sanctuaries or sea pens."

 

In a press release, Seaquarium officials said the park’s marine mammal shows are constantly evolving. They did not mention any pending changes to their orca program.

Previously, Seaquarium officials have said the park's orca, Lolita, will remain in the Seaquarium. They say they have no evidence she could survive in a sea pen and that to send her to one would  “treat her life as an experiment.”

Copyright 2020 WLRN 91.3 FM. To see more, visit .

Tags
Sea WorldLocal
Kate Stein
Kate Stein can't quite explain what attracts her to South Florida. It's more than just the warm weather (although this Wisconsin native and Northwestern University graduate definitely appreciates the South Florida sunshine). It has a lot to do with being able to travel from the Everglades to Little Havana to Brickell without turning off 8th Street. It's also related to Stein's fantastic coworkers, whom she first got to know during a winter 2016 internship.Officially, Stein is WLRN's environment, data and transportation journalist. Privately, she uses her job as an excuse to rove around South Florida searching for stories à la Carl Hiaasen and Edna Buchanan. Regardless, Stein speaks Spanish and is always thrilled to run, explore and read.
See stories by Kate Stein
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Winners mezzo-soprano Simona Genga, soprano Luna Park, tenor Minghao Liu and bass Camhur Gorgun stand with Opera Naples Executive Director Melanie Kalnins at last year's finals.
    Arts & Culture
    Competitors and jurors announced for 2026 Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition
    Tom Hall
    Opera Naples has announced the contestants and jury members who have been selected for the 2026 Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition. Out of 430 singers from 19 different countries who applied to compete, 20 contestants were selected.
  • Choreographer Sami Doherty
    Arts & Culture
    Choreographer Sami Doherty believes young dancers can do much more than they realize
    Tom Hall
    While Sami Doherty choregraphs to the strengths of her cast, she generally finds that young performers are capable of much more than they realize.
  • Environment
    Introduction to Loggerhead Shrikes when they are at their peak abundance in Florida
    Dr. Jerry Jackson
    The Loggerhead Shrike is found in Florida year-round, but reaches its peak abundance in mid-winter with the arrival of more-northern migrant birds.Shrikes feed extensively on insects, small mammals, birds, reptiles and other prey that they capture on or near the ground. As snow begins to cover the ground to the north, shrikes head south – joining the human “snowbirds” and our resident non-migratory population of shrikes.Little is known of interactions between the migrant and the resident shrike populations – providing a difficult, probably long-term, research opportunity. Both resident and migrant shrikes occupy open habitats both in cities and in the country-side.Roadsides with close-cropped vegetation and bordering fences are favored sites because of the presence of road-killed or injured animals and the ease of seeing animals crossing the road.Their flight in pursuit of prey is often within 3-4 feet of the ground. This, of course also makes shrikes vulnerable to getting hit on the road. Thus far Loggerhead Shrikes remain across their continent-wide range, but they also remain very vulnerable.