The term to transfer the animal could be from 18 to 24 months and the cost could reach 20 million dollars.
More than 50 years after the killer whale known as Lolita Captured for display at the Miami Seaquarium, she will be returned to her native waters in the Pacific Northwest, where her mother, an orca nearly a century old, is believed to still live. It’s all made possible by a curious deal struck by the theme park owner, an animal rights group, and an NFL-owned philanthropist.
“I’m excited to be a part of Lolita’s journey to freedom. I know Lolita wants to swim in open water,” said the owner of the Indianapolis ColtsJim Irsay.
Lolita, also known as Tokitae, was about 4 years old when she was captured in Puget Sound in the summer of 1970. And he became ill after decades performing for thousands of people. Last year, the Miami Seaquarium announced it would no longer perform shows with her, under an agreement with federal regulators. Lolita, who is now 57 years old and weighs 2,267 kilograms, currently lives in a tank that measures 24 meters by 11 meters and is 6 meters deep.
The orca believed to be its mother, named Ocean Suncontinues to swim free with other members of his clan, known as L pod, and is estimated to be over 90 years old. That has always been one of the arguments of the defenders of its release, since Tokitae could still have a long life in nature.
“It is a step towards restoring our natural environment, fixing what we have spoiled by exploitation and development,” he said. Howard Garrettchairman of the advocacy group’s board of directors Orca Network, based on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington. “I think I’ll be excited and relieved to be home,” she added.
The agreement between Irsay; Eduardo Albor, who runs The Dolphin Company, which owns the Seaquarium, and the Florida nonprofit Friends of Toki, co-founded by environmentalist Pritam Singh, still faces obstacles getting government approval.
The time frame for moving the animal could be 18 to 24 months, the group said, and the cost could reach $20 million. The plan is to transport Lolita by plane to an ocean sanctuary in the waters between Washington y Canadwhere you initially swim inside a large net while trainers and vets teach you how to fish.
It will also need to build its muscles, as killer whales typically swim around 60 kilometers (100 miles) a day, he said. Raynell Morris, an elder from the Lummi Indian tribe in Washington who is also on the Friends of Toki board of directors. “She was 4 years old when she was kidnapped, so she was learning to hunt. She knows her family song,” Morris said. “She will remember, but it will take time.”
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