Or the "Whale Puddle" as we lovingly refer to it here at the Miami Seaquarium. Believe it or not, Lolita's concrete chlorinated pool doesn't even meet government minimum standards (which is dismally insufficient in the first place). And the public can't do anything about it. We know, because they've tried.

APHIS Regulations: 9 C.F.R. Sec. 3.104 - Space Requirements - The primary enclosure for a Killer whale (Orcinus orca) must have a minimum horizontal dimension of no less than 48 ft. in either direction with a straight line of travel across the center.

According to the Animal Welfare Act and APHIS, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the primary enclosure for a whale Lolita's size must be a minimum of 48 feet wide in either direction with a straight line of travel across the middle. Lolita's tank is a mere 35 feet from the front wall to the slide out barrier. At its deepest point in the center the tank is only 20 feet deep.

In 1995 the Humane Society of the United States filed a formal complaint against the Seaquarium regarding the substandard size of Lolita's tank. Luckily, The Animal Plant and Health Service (APHIS) turned a cold shoulder.

"The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) should be called the Marine Mammal PARK Protection Act, because that's who it protects." ~Cetacean specialist Ric O'Barry.

The Seaquarium has been promising the public a new larger tank for Lolita since 1978 - That's 25 years. Here's the model we've been dragging around for twenty years according to former dolphin trainer Russ Rector. We use it from time to time to quiet the critics.