![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In 2016, when this orca had just passed half a century in age, I visited the Miami Seaquarium with a marine mammal vet and an ex-dolphin trainer. Lolita, for me, is more than just a cause or a “killer” whale. Are they exacting revenge for humanity’s treatment of orcas? Killer whales have reportedly attacked more than 500 boats in European waters recently. Under the current plan, which is contingent on the receipt of government permits and regulatory approvals, it will take up to two years for Lolita to be relocated.Ĭlimate & Environment Why are killer whales going ‘Moby-Dick’ on yachts lately? Experts doubt it’s revenge Then a few months ago, the Dolphin Company signed a historic, legally binding agreement with Miami-Dade County and the nonprofit Friends of Toki (doing business as Friends of Lolita) to return this orca to a sea sanctuary in her home waters of the Salish Sea. Last year the Seaquarium, under relatively new ownership by the Dolphin Company and amid mounting public pressure, announced that Lolita has been retired from performing. Tokitae in a Coast Salish language, sometimes shortened to Toki, or Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, the name given to her by the Lummi nation - has spent more than 50 years penned in at the Miami Seaquarium entertainment park. ![]() In 1970, during a contentious capture in Penn Cove in which several orcas died, she was forever taken from her family. Her path to freedom inspires hope - but also shows how far humans have to go in truly respecting animal life.īorn circa 1966, Lolita was a female member of the L pod, one of three southern resident orca groups living in the Pacific waters of the Salish Sea. After five decades of performing at a Miami tourist attraction, the captive orca Lolita is finally on track to return to her native waters in the Pacific Northwest. ![]()
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