Take Action!
-
For Tokitae and the future of cetaceans: The SWIMS Act is on the table right now. This important bill would amend outdated laws and ensure that future whales would not be held captive for entertainment purposes. Writing letters can do a lot of good! Please write to your state representatives and request that they co-sponsor the Swims Act. Peggy Oki has provided all the info plus a sample letter. You can also download my free stationery set on the DOWNLOADS page!
* Click here to review all the info plus the sample letter
* Click here to see all the action-items in Peggy's LinkTree
* Stay up-to-date on Tokitae via Origami Whales Project Facebook page
* Stay up-to-date on Tokitae via Peggy Oki's Instagram
-
Petition: Lolita has lived in a small concrete tank for 51+ years, her family can still be found in the Puget Sound (Pacific Northwest). L-Pod member 'Ocean Sun' is approximately 89 years old and would remember Lolita. Ocean Sun might actually be Lolita's mother, but DNA confirmation can not be completed due to refusal by Miami Seaquarium. Lolita's retirement is long overdue. She should feel the Ocean waves before she's gone. Retirement to a seaside sanctuary in the Salish Sea (PNW) is one of the best options. Sign the petition here: https://chng.it/FybQKtWPbz
-
Petition: 100 MILLION sharks are killed every single year. Species are declining. Shark fishing tournaments need to be a thing of the past. Help put an end to them here: https://www.change.org/p/noaa-fisheries-end-shark-tournaments
-
Petition: The Southern Resident Orcas (population of 74) are starving to death. A simple solution exists to help them; breach the four lower Snake River Dams in the state of Washington. (More in-depth information on this in the other links below.) Please sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/senator-murray-governor-inslee-dammed-to-extinction-southern-resident-orcas-are-starving-time-is-running-out
-
Petition: This petition is old (2016), but continued interest will hopefully ensure that FedEX will discontinue shipping shark fins. Yes - they still ship shark fins regardless of all the campaigning. Sign here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/283/034/695/stop-federal-express-%22fedex%22-from-shipping-shark-fins/?TAP=1732
-
Twitter: You can also 'ReTweet' these Twitter posts by Racing Extinction regarding FedEx and their continued support of shipping shark fins: https://twitter.com/racingxtinction/status/940329917429907456?lang=en https://twitter.com/RacingXtinction/status/781896301583544321
-
Tumblr: Racing Extinction also has a Tumblr post with actionable items regarding this campaign to urge FedEx to discontinue shipping shark fins: https://racingextinction.tumblr.com/post/132502675986/call-out-fedex
-
Pledge: You can pledge to NOT support Dolphin slaughter, cruelty, and captivity by clicking on the link here: https://www.dolphinproject.com/take-action/take-the-pledge-not-to-buy-a-ticket-to-a-dolphin-show/
-
Petition to end the Taiji dolphin hunts: https://www.dolphinproject.com/take-action/end-dolphin-hunting-in-taiji/
-
Petition: Help put an end to the import and export of dolphins across U.S. borders - petition here: https://www.dolphinproject.com/take-action/end-all-imports-exports-of-dolphins-across-u-s-borders/
-
Petition: Request to the Russian Government to ban the wild capture of Orcas - petition here: https://www.dolphinproject.com/take-action/petition-ask-the-russian-government-to-ban-the-wild-capture-of-orcas/
-
Petition for Lolita's retirement; a Southern Resident Orca that has been held in captivity for 51 years (with 40 of those years alone). Lolita is forced to perform and live in a concrete tank as she has done for most of those 51 years. https://www.change.org/p/raise-your-voice-for-tokitae-lolita-letter-to-mr-conni-jonsson-chairperson-eqt-partners-ab?redirect=false
-
Petition to the Australian Government to end the shark cull and remove drumlines/shark nets: https://www.envoyfilm.com.au/actnow
-
Additional 'Take Action' resource page via The Dolphin Project: https://www.dolphinproject.com/take-action/
-
More than one million votes were reached on the EU Citizens Petition to ban shark fin imports/exports in the EU: You can follow the progress of this campaign here: https://eci.ec.europa.eu/012/public/#/screen/home
Documentaries:
"The Cove" is an Academy Award winning documentary and a call to action to halt mass dolphin kills, change Japanese fishing practices, and to inform and educate the public about the risks, and increasing hazard, of mercury poisoning from dolphin meat. Please consider watching this documentary. The Cove [documentary] Facebook page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/TheCove/
"Envoy: Shark Cull" is a feature-length documentary which has provided scientific proof of the ineffective methods (drumlines and shark nets) used by the Queensland and New South Wales Governments to "protect the beaches". The drumlines and shark nets actually pose a threat to sharks, a multitude of other marine life, and the swimmers and surfers they are intended to protect. Watch here: https://www.envoyfilm.com.au/watch
You can learn more about this here: https://www.envoyfilm.com.au/facts
More Information:
More activism information here with video footage of Lolita in her tank, etc. https://www.origamiwhalesproject.org/lolita
The plan for a seaside sanctuary would allow Lolita (Tokitae) to communicate with her family for the first time in more than 50 years. You can read about the plan to relocate her here: https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/operational-plan-lolita/
Read more about the EU Citizens initiative to Stop Shark Finning here: https://stop-finning.eu/european-citizens-initiative/?lang=en
Shark fishing tournaments devalue ocean wildlife and harm marine conservation efforts. https://blueplanetsociety.org/2018/12/shark-fishing-tournaments-devalue-ocean-wildlife-and-harm-marine-conservation-efforts/
The PNW Protectors have provided an in-depth section of their website to cover each element of this issue; problems, solutions, action to take, etc. Everything you need to know can be found there:
https://www.pnwprotectors.com/campaigns
https://www.pnwprotectors.com/dismantle-the-dams
For more information and research regarding the Snake River Dams: https://damsense.org/
FedEx continues to ship shark fins despite years of campaigning. Dr Syliva Earle has boycotted FedEx since 2016 for this reason. You can read her letter here: https://mission-blue.org/2016/12/letter-to-fedex-stop-shipping-shark-fin/
More information regarding the campaign to get FedEx to discontinue shipping shark fins: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/call-out-fedex-to-stop-shipping-shark-fins/
Information regarding the Taiji dolphin hunts that happen every year (resulting in slaughter or captivity for the dolphins that are captured) https://www.dolphinproject.com/campaigns/save-japan-dolphins/
Additional information through 'Women of the World United Against Taiji': https://www.wowvstaiji.com/
More information regarding Lolita's story of captivity and exploitation: https://www.origamiwhalesproject.org/lolita
The dolphin slaughter in Taiji has been reported on many times over the years. A 'Google' search will pull up hundreds and hundreds of results. You can find an article about the dolphin hunts by CNN here: https://www.cnn.com/2014/01/18/world/asia/japan-dolphin-hunt/index.html
"No blue - no green." Mission Blue information and link to Dr Sylvia Earle's speech regarding our Oceans: https://mission-blue.org/2013/04/no-blue-no-green/
Sharks are vital to the health of our Oceans. More information from SHARKWATER (founded by Rob Stewart): https://www.sharkwater.com/help-save-sharks/why-sharks-matter/
"Kyra" is a dolphin living in captivity due to the drumline she was caught on as a baby [Gold Coast; Australia]. "Envoy: Shark Cull" is an in-depth look at the ineffective and outdated use of drumlines and shark nets - documentary info can be found above. Video of this horrific event shows Kyra's mother pushing her hooked baby to the surface of the water to breathe. Gold Coast Sea World is where Kyra remains without her mother and no plan of release (6+ years captive thus far).
Article and video of Kyra and her mother at the drumline: https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/sea-shepherds-jeff-hanson-has-lashed-out-at-the-coasts-shark-control-program/news-story/91bed8371f7e24addfc2ac9ea5d9b990
Gold Coast Sea World database: https://www.cetabase.org/inventory/sea-world-gold-coast/