Lolita, the oldest captive orca, was torn from her Pacific Northwest home when she was only four. Now, more than half a century later, plans are advancing to return her to her natural waters. She has spent the majority of her life as a spectacle in an American aquarium.
Persistent campaigns by animal-rights advocates led to the Miami Seaquarium, the US park where Lolita is housed (formerly Tokitae), announcing at a press conference a plan to rescue this giant from a life spent in captivity and under heavy payload concerns totaling more than 2,260 kilograms of weight.
After a decade of protests and lawsuits, Friends of Toki, a nonprofit group, secured a deal with the Seaquarium to arrange Lolita’s release. The relocation will receive financial help from Jim Irsay, the NFL owner and philanthropist.
While the move may be delayed up to two years and the cost could climb to around $20 million, preparations are already underway for Lolita’s return to the Pacific Northwest. Initially, she will be monitored in a secure bunker to observe her adjustment, and she will learn to hunt again and rebuild muscle mass weakened during captivity, with the aim of eventually reintroducing her to the wild.
Orca Lolita is shown performing in a US aquarium environment, a scene that has become emblematic of the debate over wild animals in captivity (attribution: EFE).
The cetacean, now 57, ended live performance duties last year and resides in a 24-by-11-foot tank
“This step represents a move toward healing damaged ecosystems and correcting the toll of exploitation and development,” said Howard Garrett, chair of Orca Network, in a statement to AP News. “If all goes well, Lolita will feel the pull of her old neighborhood and the sea.”
I’m looking for his mother
Lolita, commonly called the southern orca, belongs to a fragile population of these mammals that inhabits waters between Washington and Canada. Fewer than 73 individuals are believed to remain. The population suffered steep declines in the 1960s and 1970s when whaling and capture for entertainment caused 45 orcas, including Lolita, to be taken from their homes and sent to theme parks around the world.
Despite Lolita’s remarkable age, her mother, nearly a century old, is thought to be one of the few orcas still swimming in the Pacific Northwest. Lolita is part of the L pod clan.
Keepers and advocates express hope that Lolita will enjoy many more years of freedom, perhaps even reuniting with her mother under the watchful skies of the northern waters.
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Environmental officials note that ongoing monitoring and support will accompany the transition to ensure the animal’s safety and well-being as she reenters her natural habitat (attribution: Orca Network).