O Si’am ne schaleche sii’am (dear friends, family, and supporters),
Hy’shqe (thank you) for your ongoing support and engagement! Our hearts are glad knowing that so many people around the world love and are concerned for our relation, the captive qwe’lhol’mechen (orca) Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Tokitae/Lolita). She is our #SalishSeaDaughter.
Your generosity to GoFundMe has raised over one-third of our Xwlemi Tokw fundraising goal, and donations to SacredSea.org continue to support our broader work. Hy’shqe!
Here is some of what has happened over the past several weeks:
HER HEALTH
Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut was sick; we asked for your prayers. We believe your love gave her strength to survive a difficult time.
When conflicting reports were released about Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s health, you – Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s advocates– amplified our call for an independent, comprehensive medical and behavioral assessment.
As a result, Miami Dade Mayor Levine Cava and County Commissioner Regalado now are also calling for such an assessment, and have become actively involved in ensuring the well-being of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut.
Hy’shqe to each and every one of you for this good work! But we are not there yet: we need to continue this call until such an assessment is underway.
THE DOLPHIN COMPANY
On March 4, the USDA issued a license to MS Leisure, a subsidiary of The Dolphin Company. Miami Dade County owns the land on which the Seaquarium stands, and has attached to the lease conditions regarding transparency and animal welfare.
The Dolphin Company, unlike their predecessor, has already allowed for a site visit from Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who wanted to check in on Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut.
“RETIREMENT”
Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is retired. For the first time in more than 50 years, Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is no longer performing, she is no longer on display. Focus can now be shifted solely to her health and welfare. This is a monumental change for her!
Of course, she can never be truly healthy and whole while kept in a concrete tank.
THE FUTURE
Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is our family. The work that you are funding goes toward preparing for what we hope will be her homecoming. Our GoFundMe is currently funding the site search for a Xwlemi Tokw, as well as all of our other work that directly pertains to Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut. Your generosity to both this targeted campaign and to SacredSea.org makes our work possible.
We are hopeful that The Dolphin Company, Miami Dade County, and government agencies will see that not only do we have an actionable, safe, and responsible plan in hand for bringing our relation home, but we will also soon have a site for her Xwlemi Tokw.
With our team, we have searched over a dozen potential sites in the Salish Sea. Each site has been assessed for water quality, noise levels, shipping and boat traffic patterns, geography, privacy, proximity to Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s L-pod family routes, permitting and other logistical requirements. We have now narrowed it down to two excellent potential sites in the San Juan Islands.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:
If you are on or near traditional Lhaq’temish territory, there will be a prayer event at Xwe’chi’eXen (Cherry Point, near Ferndale / Bellingham in Whatcom County) on Sunday, March 20th at 10am. Details and a livestream will be posted to our Facebook page.
If you are in a position to comfortably do so, continue donating to our GoFundMe. Every cent goes towards our work for her.
If you are so moved, hold a ceremony and share it with the Ceremonies for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut Facebook Page. If you would like guidance, here are some basics of a ceremony, though we encourage you to act from whatever your faith tradition might be, and/or what you feel in your heart.
Join activists on Sundays at 1pm PT for “Tokitae TV.” The link is available on Sacred Sea’s Facebook page, which also appears as a newsfeed on the homepage of www.SacredSea.org.
Please keep hopeful. Please be patient. The Dolphin Company has been in charge of the Seaquarium for only a week. We know that CEO Eduardo Albor has previously stated that he wants whatever is “best for Lolita,” and Commissioner Regalado has already conducted a site visit. These are reasons for optimism.
And please accept our great gratitude for all that you are doing.
Our whole world is hurting right now. Working to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut home offers us the chance to help right an old wrong, to do something good and right and healing.
Hy’shqe!
