The Miami Seaquarium will lead a plan to release Lolita, a 56-year-old killer whale captured in the 1970s.
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Clara Hidalgo
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Since the 1970s, she has been the star of the Miami Seaquarium in Florida. Lolita, a killer whale 56, entertained generations of visitors with his sensational jumps that splashed rows of children. After more than 50 years in captivity, the marine mammal will return to its native waters in the Pacific Ocean, off Washington State, the owner of the aquarium announced on Thursday March 30.
The release plan for the orca – also known as Tokitae – will span the next two years, the facility has informed. This decision is the result of abinding agreementbetween The Dolphin Company, which operates the Seaquarium, Miami-Dade County and animal rights activists. The latter have been complaining for several years about the living conditions of Lolita, who has lived almost her entire existence in an aquarium measuring 26 by 11 meters.dangerously small for a 6 meter long animal“, underline the activists interviewed by the BBC.
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“We listen and work together”
«We have the same goal and now the world will see it, amazing things are possible when we listen and work togethersaid Eduardo Albor, general manager of The Dolphin Company and new owner of the theme park. His daughter was one of these defenders of the animal cause and had made him promise to improve Lolita’s living conditions. A commitment kept by Eduardo Albor. A year after acquiring the Seaquarium, the Latin American amusement park mogul announced the orca’s retirement.
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The facility has partnered with the non-profit organization Friends of Lolita to relocate the killer whale to the waters off the country’s northwest coast. Travel expenses will be paid by Jim Irsay, owner of the NFL football team, the Indianapolis Colts. “I’m thrilled to be part of Lolita’s journey, he rejoiced. It’s a tough creature. It’s incredible.»
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marine enclosure
However, many experts warn that Lolita’s release will be complicated. Captured in August 1970 and then sold to the Miami Seaquarium, the orca performed in its early days with another orca named Hugo, according to the park’s website. Since the death of her companion in 1980, Lolita has not rubbed shoulders with another animal for over 40 years. In addition, due to its life spent almost entirely in captivity, the orca is unable to feed itself.
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So, rather than releasing the animal into the ocean to live in the wild, Lolita will spend her last days in a sea pen. For Jason Colby, environmental historian and professor at the University of Victoria,this will allow him to feel his native waters and reconnect acousticallywith the environment from which she had been torn, he explains to the BBC. The historian all the same salutesa powerful and symbolic victory». «If his return inspires people to commit to ensuring orcas have a healthy place to live, it will be a big hit.».
