Lolita, the orca, will finally be freed after more than 50 years in captivity. A Florida aquarium reached a deal with animal welfare advocates after growing pressure to release Lolita from the aquarium. The 2268kg killer whale is currently living in a tank that reaches a max depth of about 6 metres (20 feet).
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Animal activists have been fighting for her freedom for decades.
Lolita will return to an ocean habitat in the Pacific Northwest for the rest of her life. The sea creature lived in captivity for the past five decades. She lives at Miami Seaquarium, and will return to home waters within two years.
The orca was once a star performer at the Seaquarium. She is now over 50 years old, and retired from exhibition shows last spring. The ageing whale had multiple health scares over the years. This included an infection that made her stop eating in October 2022.
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Free Lolita
Many welcome the release, but it will come with a number of hurdles said Miami-Dade Mayor, Daniella Levine Cava. Some of these challenges include re-training Lolita to hunt and physically moving her across the country. The success of the operations depends largely on the health of the sea creature. Cava explained further at a media conference:
To all of you who care, we want to thank you for your care and concern of Toki (Lolita)…The most important thing is Toki’s long-term wellbeing, and together, guided by the experts, we will continue to do what’s best for her
The whale’s indigenous name is Tokitae, or Toki for short. Lolita is one of the oldest orcas in captivity. Killer whales are highly social animals and can live up to 80 years. Toki is 56 years old.
The Seaquarium’s previous owner, SeaWorld Entertainment Inc, removed killer whale shows 7 years ago.
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The fight to free Lolita gained traction in 2013 following the documentary Blackfish which highlighted the captivity of orcas. Lolita and a number of other whales were violently captured in 1970. Four baby whales and an adult whaled were killed during the capture.
