Miami Aquarium star Lolita spent more than 50 years in captivity. Soon she will say goodbye to her tiny
The Dolphin Company, which ownsMiami Aquarium and conservation group Friends of Lolita announced the decision to relocate Lolita to her native waters at a joint press conference on March 30. Friends of Lolita has been campaigning for Lolita's return home since she retired. According to the statement, Lolita is too old to be successfully released into the wild, so she will be moved to a new sea pen where she will spend her retirement under the care of trainers. It is unclear when the orca will be relocated, and what size and location its new home will be.
According to the British organization Whale andDolphin Conservation, in the wild, the average lifespan of female killer whales is 46 years, but some live up to 80 or 90 years. The average lifespan of males is only 30 years, although some live 50 to 60 years. However, captive orcas rarely live that long. According to the statement, it is hoped that relocating Lolita could potentially prolong her life.
Lolita, also known as Tokitae —In the language of the Coast Salish people, it means "good day, beautiful colors" - or Toki, she is a 57-year-old female killer whale (Orcinus orca). She is a member of the endangered southern resident killer whales that live off the coasts of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. She is now the second oldest orca in captivity after Corky, a 58-year-old male resident at SeaWorld San Diego.
Lolita arrived at the Miami Aquariumin 1970 after a group of men captured her and 79 other killer whales in a cove on Whidbey Island, Washington, in one of the largest and most widely condemned killer whale capture events in history . Since then, Lolita has lived and performed tricks in the aquarium pool, which is the smallest of its kind in North America. In March 2022, she stopped speaking publicly.
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Cover photo: Allan Watt
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