God gave people an important job. We get to take care of creation—trees, air, cats, dogs, fish, all of it! What a whale of a task! Lolita is part of God’s creation. How can people take good care of whales like her?

That’s a good question, but it’s not an easy one to answer. On one hand, we don’t want to be cruel by capturing and putting animals in danger for no reason. Catching Lolita’s family in nets doesn’t sound like “taking care of creation.” It doesn’t sound kind to keep Lolita in a tiny tank, either. On the other hand, sometimes we can help animals by taking them out of their natural environment. We can give them good veterinary care if they are sick. Keeping whales allows people to study them. It also lets people see and enjoy what God has made.

A man-made whale enclosure will never work as well for whales as the ocean God made. He is the expert builder. He knows exactly what His creatures need. But how can you really be sure whether a whale is happy? Whales in the ocean swim in long, straight lines. Whales in captivity don’t have space to do that. Instead they swim in small circles over and over. But do those things really mean that captive whales are unhappy? Some say yes. Others say no.

People are not made to worship animals. They do not need to serve them. But they do need to have compassion on them. God loves His creation, and we can too. Just look at Lolita! What’s not to love? But remember this: The only reason we can look at Lolita at all is because she lives at the Seaquarium.