For the past 4 years of my life I have been involved in fighting the captivity industry. Before I became and active member in this just cause, I was like many other young people who were in love with dolphins and whales. From the first time I saw killer whales on TV and read about them in book I fell for them. To me they were the embodiment of grace and subtle beauty, and I wanted to be with them, and be close to them. At about the age of ten I decided that I wanted to train killer whales and dolphins. At that age I already was aware of the many captive orcas in the country. In those days my dream of training and being with killer whales and dolphins was very real. I knew what I wanted to do, but wasn't quite sure how to go about becoming a dolphin trainer.

My love and respect for orcas and dolphins grew and blossomed, I began to feel that, somehow, I was a part of them. To me they were my friends and I longed to see them up close, to touch them, and maybe even to swim alongside them. The orca still remained the most favorable to me, but I loved all species to dolphin, whale, and porpoise. I spent much of my time learning about them and eventually I taught myself to draw them. And I drew them beautifully.

When 1993 rolled around I was at the peak of love. I knew more about orcas and dolphins than most people my age. I even taught my mother and siblings about them....how they lived, how long, birthrate, intelligence, anything they wanted to know, I knew it.

Then 'Free Willy' the movie came out. I don't remember when or where I saw it, but the movie touched my heart. In the first scene, willy is swimming with his family and then the capture boats races out and nets him...that's when I think something happened. I don't know what it was, but I realized that ripping these beautiful creatures from the water and from their families was wrong. I looked back at my dreams of becoming a dolphin trainer and decided that it was wrong. They deserve to be wild and free, not captive and miserable. I wanted to help, but where to start.

After a few weeks of searching for orca rescue groups and/or chat rooms I stumbled upon two sites that had a major impact in my quest of orca rights. The first was Orca Live. The site has live uplinks to cameras all around Puget Sound. It was at this site that I had my first "encounter" with wild killer whales. I'll never forget the feeling I had seeing a young calf breach clear out of the water. I held my breath as I watched this playful creature breach a total of five times. It was magical and thrilling. I felt like I never wanted to leave. All I wanted to do was stay there with the whales and watch them.

Now after almost 2 years of fighting for the rights of whales and dolphins, I have decided to start my very own anti-captivity group. I think that the best way to help these aninmals is through educating the public about how wrong it is to put dolphins and whales in tanks. I have met hundreds of people all over the world who have the same views as me and who think that displaying these intelligent creatures is inhumane. I want to continue to spread the word that captivity kills and that dolphins and whales deserve to be wild and free.

The steps to joining are very simple. I only ask that you

1) visit the sites listed on the links page
2) write letters to orca captors and/or heads of state(e-mail me a copy of any letters you send)
3) spread the word that captivity kills
4) urge other people to visit this and other anti-captivity sites
5) join Lolita's Legion and become even more involved

1) e-mail me about why you would like to join
2) include a website link (if you have one)
3) send me copies of any letters that you write.
I hope to spread the word about the suffering of whales and dolphins in captivity. Thank you for helping me with the cause.