Many captive bottlenose dolphins have been returned to the wild with great success. Thanks to Korean activists and IMMP, Sampal the dolphin made a spectacular return to the ocean after four years in an aquarium, linking up with her pod and even giving birth to a calf.
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Keiko came home to the wild waters of Iceland -- and he loved it. But his legacy lives on, as captivity for orcas in North America is phased out. But more needs to be done to retire the remaining captive orcas to seaside sanctuaries.
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Part 2 of our report looks at the impact of the documentary "Blackfish" and the successful efforts by the International Marine Mammal Project to end SeaWorld's breeding, imports and exports of orcas, making the current generation the last orcas in captivity in North America.
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30 years ago, the movie "Free Willy" was a huge hit. The plight of its orca star, Keiko, touched the public along with the moving story. Read how the International Marine Mammal Project took that spark of concern and returned Keiko to his home waters. SeaWorld and other captive dolphin parks would never be the same!
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The last captive orca in Canada, Kiska, has died, after being kept alone for twelve years at the notorious MarineLand park in Niagara Falls. If Tokitae (Lolita) goes home to a seaside sanctuary, the only North American captive orcas will be those in SeaWorld's three parks.
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One was a NYT best-selling writer; the other pioneered advertising for the Earth. Both were great advocates for environmental protection. We will miss them both. Read about the contributions of Jerry Mander and David Kirby.
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2023 is the 30th anniversary of the release of "Free Willy", the film that popularized the issues raised by keeping orcas in captivity in small concrete tanks. Dave Phillips, who spearheaded the rehabilitation and release of Keiko, the orca star of the movie, speaks to the BBC about the successful (and so far only) release of a captive orca.
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Plans are in place to bring Tokitae (also known as Lolita) back to her home waters in a seaside sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest. Read about the extraordinary group of people and organizations bringing this about. David Phillips discusses the implications.
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New seaside sanctuaries for dolphins and whales are open or in the process of being built -- providing a great, expansive home for captive and stranded cetaceans. The expense is high, but the results are well worth the price.
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The Miami Seaquarium owners have stated they are all in favor of efforts to move Tokitae, the female orca who has performed for 50 years, into retirement, possibly to a seaside sanctuary in her home waters. A major barrier to bringing her home has been removed.
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