An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

 

Young Advocate is Standing Up for Captive Orcas like Lolita

From OrcaNetwork.org
October 2013

[Ed. note: Watch Blackfish and Read Blackfish (The Importance of October 24, 2013)]

Getting the word out to your children about the plight of captivity is crucial. There is no way to end this industry without changing the mindset of our younger ones. We cannot change captivity without changing the next generation.

We all know that ending Dolphin and Whale captivity lies largely in the hands of today’s youth. The next generation will decide whether they will support facilities that exploit cetaceans or not; they will decide whether captivity stays or goes out of business. That’s why anti-captivity advocates invest so much of their time in educating others, especially the younger generations. Luckily, it seems that this education is making an impact in the lives of multiple children, as seen in the case of Georgia.

Georgia is a 10 year old who lives in Austin, Texas. She was intrigued by the movie “Blackfish,” and asked her mother to take her to see the movie. After viewing it, she was transformed into a full anti-cap. Georgia wanted to do something with her new-found knowledge, so she decided to execute a very simple, yet effective plan: create a lemonade stand and donate the profits to deserving anti-captivity organizations. Georgia stayed committed to her stand, and ended up making $104! She decided to split the profits, with half of the funds going to Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project, and the other half going to The Orca Network. Lolita’s freedom is a large portion of how The Orca Network spends their efforts.

Georgia also went on to participate in the Japan Dolphins Day protest in her town on September 1st, and now has plans to sell homemade dog treats to raise funds for the ASPCA. What a committed young activist!

Getting the word out to your children about the plight of captivity is crucial. There is no way to end this industry without changing the mindset of our younger ones. We cannot change captivity without changing the next generation.


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