This Orca Lived In Captivity For 50 Years, And Is Finally Getting Released To The Wild
She is the oldest orca living in captivity, but Lolita’s world is about to get a whole lot better — or at least it’s about to get a whole lot bigger.
Lolita — also known as Tokitae — was captured from her home in the Pacific Northwest when she was just four years old.
That was dang near five decades ago — 50 freaking years!
Seriously, can you imagine this majestic sea creature being ripped from the aquatic home she knew and loved, and being forced to live out her life in an 80 by 35 foot tank?
Not only did her home get a lot smaller, she was forced to perform tricks for an eager audience.
On one hand, it has allowed humans to come face to face with the 5,000 pound gentle giant, a luxury most humans wouldn’t have otherwise experienced.
It is rather tragic, however, that such a great whale has been cooped up in an enclosure, and not allowed to spend her life free in the sea.
Well, things are about to change in a big way for Lolita.
Lolita The Orca Is Getting A New Home
This extraordinary collaboration has the life-transforming possibility to change Lolita’s future thanks also to a generous contribution from philanthropist Jim Irsay, the owner & CEO of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
Miami Seaquarium Press Release
Although she currently lives at the Miami Seaquarium, she is about to be released to an ocean sanctuary in her native Pacific Northwest.
The Dolphin Company — the current managers of the Miami Seaquarium — have entered into an agreement with the non-profit, Friends of Lolita, to get Lolita back to her home.
I am excited to see that, regardless of different positions, we can make this extraordinary [relocation] happen based on mutual respect and confidence between all parties.
Eduardo Albor, CEO of The Dolphin Company
Lolita’s relocation will take a bit of effort, and is a process that will take 18 to 24 months and nearly $20 million.
According to IFL Science, Lolita won’t just be thrown back into the wild of the Pacific Northwest.
This awe-inspiring orca will “initially be under the care of trainers in an enclosed sanctuary. There, she will be taught to hunt and helped to build up muscle, better equipping her for life in the wild.”
Get this. It is thought that Lolita’s mother — who would be nearly 100 years old — is one of the few surviving orcas that still live in the Pacific Northwest.
How awesome would it be if the two orcas were to reunite, and know each other?!?
We certainly hope that animal welfare leaders around the world can find common ground as we have here in the case of Lolita.
Eduardo Albor, CEO of The Dolphin Company
