Lolita, a killer whale known for her tricks, has died in captivity at 57 years old right before her release and devastated is an understatement.
The orca has been in captivity at Miami Seaquarium since 1970, and as an orca advocate ever since I watched Blackfish in 2013 I am heartbroken that Lolita died whilst still in captivity.
She died of kidney disease pretty much as soon as plans to release her back in the wild were drafted, officials confirmed Friday.
The Sun reported that Lolita, who was called Tokitae by activists advocating for her release, has been a mega star attraction in Florida with tourists travelling cross country to see her.
After 53 years of performing tricks for the public, it was announced in March that she would finally be retiring. Since news of the retirement park officials began to train her for release as they planned to take her back to her home in Washington State.
But she began showing extreme signs of distress and yeah, she’s been in captivity for 53 years, I can imagine any change to routine would distress a wild animal.
Medical teams aggressively treated her ailments, which they thought was pneumonia, until she finally passed away due to a renal condition last week.
A statement read after her death made reference to the indigenous people from her homeland.
“Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story, and especially to the Lummi nation that considered her family,” the statement said.
“Those who have had the privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit.”
Her release plan was drafted by the non-profit ‘Friends of Toki’ who have been very vocal in advocating for the release of the animal.
Whilst at the Seaquarium, she performed tricks three times a day for audiences and lived in an 80-foot long and 35-foot wide tank (that’s just 24 metres by 10 metres BTW), which was the smallest tank of its kind in the entire US.
Toki AKA Lolita, was dubbed the world’s loneliest whale after her companion Hugo passed away just 10 years after they arrived at the Seaquarium from a brain aneurysm caused by repeated head trauma and I am sobbing RN.
While animal rights activists rallied support for her release, some other environmental experts felt doubtful that she could live successfully in the wild after so many years in captivity.
After the move was announced, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesman said that she may have posed a risk to existing populations in Washington waters.
“If she is healthy enough to be transported, the issue is her skill set,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who advocated for improvements at Miami Seaquarium.
“She doesn’t know how to catch or hunt. We’re not really sure if she can communicate with other whales because she’s been alone.”
The big move was going to cost $20 million USD (about $31 million AUD), and was going to be funded by the Indiana Colts football team owner Jim Irsay and finally someone was gonna use their millions for something good.
“I know Lolita wants to get to free waters. I don’t care what anyone says,” Irsay said before her death.
“She’s lived this long to have this opportunity. And my only mission is to help this whale get free.”
Screaming. Crying. Throwing up. I’m not sure how I’m going to recover from this one.
