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For more than a decade, Howard Garrett has worked tirelessly out of his home on Whidbey Island, Wash., to return an orca whale named Lolita to her native waters. In 1995--inspired by the campaign to release Keiko, the "Free Willy" whale--he teamed with local politicians, offering the Florida aquarium where Lolita works a million dollars to reunite her with the pod of whales she grew up with, off the coast of Washington state. In 1997, he spent two years in Miami--unpaid--working to garner public attention for Lolita's cause; after nearly four decades in captivity, she's served her time, Garrett believes.  Every year since then, his organization, the nonprofit advocacy group Orca Network, has held a beachside commemoration of the day Lolita was plucked from her family in the icy waters of Puget Sound.

But 12 years is a long time for anyone to stay committed--even in the Pacific Northwest, where the orca is treated as an icon. "There have been times I've wanted to give up," Garrett says. "Everyone keeps telling us it's hopeless, and even when there's a surge of enthusiasm, eventually it dwindles."

In late November, however, Garrett got a call that, in spite of his usual doubts, stirred the fight inside him. Raul Julia-Levy, the Hollywood producer and son of actor Raul Julia, wanted to sign on to help free Lolita, and with him, promised to bring every last Hollywood contact he could persuade. He immediately put Garrett on the phone with the wife of Jean Claude Van Damme, and within days, had a list that included Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford and even 50 Cent. Now Levy says he's got a benefit concert in the works that will include R&B singer Truth Hurts, Snoop Dogg and 50 (who did not return NEWSWEEK requests for comment, though Levy says "the man loves animals like you have no idea"). Nearly a dozen local politicians have signed on, as well. "We have some of the most powerful Hollywood producers behind this campaign, and I have spoken with some of the most prominent scientists in this field," Levy says. "This beautiful animal does not deserve to die in a stinky little tank, and we are not going to take less than a full victory."

The problem, of course, is that not everyone feels the way Levy and his Hollywood buddies do. The debate over Lolita has at times divided the Puget Sound community, and many scientists have been hesitant to endorse Garrett's cause. The Miami Seaquarium, where Lolita has lived for the past 37 years, has long been unwilling to consider the idea of releasing her and is calling the latest campaign a "publicity grab" by uninformed activists. The park's general manager, Andrew Hertz (the son of the park's owner, Arthur Hertz), contends that Lolita is healthy and happy--performing two shows a day--and quips that "you can't make a 7,000 pound animal do what she doesn't want to do."

Hertz says Lolita receives daily checkups, and that--despite criticism of her living conditions in the past--she receives the "best care of any orca in the world." He points to a 2004 inspection report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that says Lolita "appears to be healthy and well-adjusted to her environment" despite a pool that "appears small." (The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service states that the primary enclosure for a killer whale must have a minimum horizontal dimension of no less than 48 feet in either direction. Lolita's tank is about 35 feet on either side of its sizable middle island--which means it meets the specifications when the total space is tallied.) "Lolita is home," says Hertz. "This is where she lives, where she's with people who care for her and love her, and wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her."

That may be the case, but the story of her capture is an easy tear-jerker. On Aug. 8, 1970, at the age of about three, Lolita (then called Tokitae) and her extended family of more than 100 orcas--her pod--were gathered in Puget Sound when capture boats and aircraft began hurling explosives into the water to herd them into a small cove. The orcas had been through this before, and split into two groups: the females and their young stayed underwater and tried to escape to the north, while the rest acted as decoys and headed east. At first the distraction worked--until the first group had to come up for air. While the rest of her family watched, Lolita and six other babies were lifted onto rubber mats on flatbed trucks; they were sold to marine parks and aquariums across the country.

The Free Willy Foundation, under the umbrella of the Earth Island Institution, joins Hollywood's elite calling for the release of a captive Orca whale.

Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) March 12, 2008 -- Imagine roaming around in an eight by ten room for the rest of your life, receiving the same food day in, day out, at the same time, performing the same routine over and over again. Feeling claustrophobic? Depressed? That's how Lolita feels as she swims in an 18 feet deep, 35 feet by 80 feet tank, only a fraction of the vast ocean she once explored, eating the same ration of fish and jumping through the same hoops.

Lolita is the orca whale held captive at the Miami Seaquarium for the past 37 years. Recently her story has made international news as celebrities have stood behind the campaign for her release. On January 23, Newsweek ran an article about Lolita titled "Free Lolita! A Whale Story" that explains in detail the whale's inhumane plight.

Free Lolita! A Whale Story

For the Keiko Project, the Free Willy Keiko Foundation received generous assistance from the Earth Island Institute and numerous other foundations. According to EII's website, the organization "works for solutions to environmental problems by promoting citizen action and incubating a diverse network of projects."

The rehabilitation of Keiko involved many steps. First the FWKF negotiated the donation of Keiko from the Reino Aventura amusement park to the project. After successfully transporting Keiko from Mexico City to Oregon, the rehabilitation team built a rehab pool, and eventually a sea pen when Keiko was returned to Iceland to assimilate to his native waters. When Keiko lived in the sea pen, the team re-taught him to eat live fish and other skills to live in the wild.

Keiko's story gives scientists, activists, philanthropists, and Hollywood producers, directors and actors inspiration to forge ahead with the efforts to free Lolita. The latest coup for the campaign to retire Lolita is the recent involvement of the Earth Island Institution: The Keiko Foundation.

Raul Julia-Levy, celebrity spokesman for Lolita's release, said, "Having the Earth Island Institution aligned with our efforts brings a one-two punch to our campaign. We now have the experience of Richard Donner in our quest to free Lolita."

Donner, also the executive producer of Free Willy, raised money and assembled a cast of thousands for the rescue, rehabilitation and release of Keiko. Knowing the controversy surrounding the release of a whale held for entertainment purposes, Donner brings to the equation his compassion and inspiration.

Another high-powered individual to join the campaign is music legend Elton John. In an article published in the Times Colonists, Elton John stated in a letter found on his website, "I have been deeply moved by efforts to free Lolita and wish to add my name to the campaign to return her to home waters, where she can hopefully reunite with her family."

"She has spent most of her life performing daily in a small tank and I wish to add my voice to those others who are attempting to see her either freed or fully cared for in retirement in a sea-pen within the waters where she was captured almost 30 years ago," said Julia-Levy. "A powerful group has been meeting the past two weeks to strategize for the campaign. The Miami Seaquarium won't know what hit them."

Adding to the humanitarian efforts are recent recruits David Permut who produced the 1996 blockbuster Face/Off and Steve Longi who co-produced the recently released Charlie Bartlett. Permut and Longi join Oscar-winning producer Jonathan Sanger, best known for producing Vanilla Sky and Mission Impossible, and Anna and the King and The Martian Child's producer Ed Elbert in the battle to free Lolita.

"With Permut, Longi and Donnor on board, we maintain of unwavering confidence and hope in releasing Lolita from her exploitative existence at the Miami Seaquarium," said Julia-Levy.

Julia-Levy encourages private citizens concerned about anthropomorphic mammals like Lolita to contribute to the campaign for Lolita's release by donating to the Keiko Foundation.

Further information about the Earth Island Institute may be obtained from their website or by contacting:

David Phillips
Earth Island Institute
300 Broadway, Suite 28
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 788 3666 X 145