Lolita, also known as Tokitae, is returning to the waters of the Pacific Northwest more than half a century after her capture there.
Miami Seaquarium's star orca, Lolita, who has spent more than 50 years in captivity, will soon bid adieu to her tiny tank in Florida and live out the rest of her days in her home waters of the Pacific Northwest.
Lolita arrived at Miami Seaquarium in 1970 after a group of men captured her and 79 other orcas at a cove on Whidbey Island, Washington in one of the largest and most widely condemned orca-capture events in history, according to The Guardian . Since then, Lolita has lived and performed tricks in an aquarium pool, which is the smallest of its kind in North America, until March 2022, when she was retired from public shows, according to the U.S.-based non-profit organization In Defence of Animals .
It is hoped that moving Lolita could potentially extend her life past what is possible in captivity, according to the statement.