It’s possible that the old killer whale will soon return to the waters off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, where Lolita’s mother is said to still live.
Lolita, the killer whale, may go back to the ocean and maybe meet up with her old mother again after being kept as a pet for 52 years.
People have been trying for decades to free Lolita, also called Tokitae or Toki, who was taken from the wild and brought to the Miami Seaquarium in 1970. According to The Guardian, they are making success.
The article says that the 56-year-old orca has lived and performed in what has been called the smallest tank in North America for killer whales that are kept as pets since 1970.
The state of Lolita’s health has changed over the years. The newspaper reports that experts say the old whale is in “remarkably good form,” even though she has lived longer than her tankmate Hugo. He had a brain aneurysm and died in 1980 after hitting his head against his cage over and over again.
Howard Garrett is a whale expert and Orca Network activist who has been trying to get Lolita freed since 1995. He told The Guardian that she “is a miracle every day.” “She is still alive, which doesn’t seem likely at all.” I think that her mental health is what keeps her body healthy.
“She’s not withdrawn, neurotic, or exhibiting any stereotypical behavior that would point to any type of brain damage brought on by being held captive,” he said. She might be the only person who always takes care of her health.
A USDA review last year found that the Miami Seaquarium was not treating the animal properly because it was not getting enough water or food.
According to the story, the veterinarian who was there was also worried that Toki wasn’t getting enough water (marine animals get their water from fish) and that her small meals were making her uncomfortable and irritable.
Norway killed Freya the Walrus because they were worried about the safety of the public.
“The AV also had problems with the Training Curator mandating the inclusion of rapid swims and huge jumps throughout training sessions and shows for this elderly whale,” it said. The AV was worried that Toki’s odd bloodwork could cause him to work too hard and get tired, which the senior trainer and the AV both saw. The AV found that Toki had probably hit her lower jaw on the bottom flume or wall while swimming quickly. Toki’s medical records show that she hurt her lower jaw on February 25, March 10, April 6, and April 7, 2021.
The report’s findings and the fact that the facility’s new owners are open to the idea of releasing the whale have given campaigners hope that Lolita will be freed and returned to the ocean.
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Newsweek says that putting Lolita back with her mother, a 93-year-old whale named L25 or “Ocean Sun,” could happen soon, even though it is dangerous to do so.
Newsweek says that the older animal is still seen in the Salish Sea near Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest. It is in charge of a group of southern resident killer whales.
