Lolita (orca) facts for kids
Lolita performing in 1998
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| Other name(s) | Tokitae Toki Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut (Lummi nation) |
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| Species | Orca (Orcinus orca) |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | 1964–1967 |
| Died | (aged around 56/59) Miami Seaquarium, Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Years active | 1970–2022 |
| Known for | orca who lived at the Miami Seaquarium for 53 years |
| Weight | ≈7,000 lb (3,200 kg) |
| Named after | Titular character in Nabokov's novel Lolita |
Lolita, also known as Tokitae or Toki, was a female orca who lived in captivity. She was born between 1964 and 1967. She was captured from the wild in September 1970. For 53 years, she lived at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida. Lolita passed away in August 2023. When she died, she was the second-oldest orca living in captivity.
In March 2023, the Seaquarium announced a plan. Lolita was going to move to a special ocean pen. This pen would be in the Salish Sea for the rest of her life. However, on August 18, 2023, Lolita died. She had been showing signs of sickness for two days. Her death was caused by kidney problems.
Contents
Lolita's Early Life and Capture
Lolita was part of a group of orcas called the southern resident orcas. Her specific family group was known as L Pod. She was a close relative of L25, also called "Ocean Sun." Ocean Sun is the oldest living member of their pod. After Lolita's death, L25 became the only living whale from the orca capture era of the 1960s and 1970s.
Lolita was captured when she was young. She was estimated to be three to six years old. This happened on August 8, 1970, in Puget Sound, Washington. This event is known as the Penn Cove capture. Lolita was one of seven young orcas sold to oceanariums and marine mammal parks. Over eighty whales were captured in this event. It was led by Ted Griffin and Don Goldsberry. Their company was called Namu, Inc.
The Miami Seaquarium bought Lolita for about $20,000. When she arrived, she joined another male orca named Hugo. Hugo was also a southern resident orca. He had been captured from Puget Sound two years earlier.
Her Names and Home
The young orca was first named "Tokitae." In the Chinook language, this means "Bright day, pretty colors." But because of the age difference between her and Hugo, she was renamed Lolita. This name came from a book character. The Lummi Nation of Washington had their own name for her. They called her Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut. This means a female orca from an important ancestral place. The Lummi people saw her as a relative. They called her "qwe 'lhol mechen", which means 'our relative under the water.'
Lolita and Hugo lived together for ten years. Their tank was called the "Whale Bowl." It was the smallest orca tank in North America. It was about 80-by-35-foot (24 by 11 m) and 20 feet (6 m) deep. They had many babies, but none survived. Hugo often hit his head against the tank walls. He died in 1980 when he was 15 years old. After Hugo, Lolita shared her tank with other marine animals. These included a short-beaked common dolphin and a pilot whale. Later, she lived with two Pacific white-sided dolphins, named Li'i and Loke.
In 2017, the Miami Beach City Commission voted. They supported a plan to return Lolita to her capture place. In August 2021, The Dolphin Company bought the Seaquarium. A report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) came out. It listed many serious problems with Lolita's living conditions. The USDA then issued a new license. It said Lolita and her dolphin friend Li'i could not be shown to the public. The Dolphin Company agreed to let outside veterinarians check on Lolita.
Plans for Her Return Home
On March 30, 2023, a big announcement was made. The Miami Seaquarium and The Dolphin Company made an agreement. They partnered with a group called Friends of Toki. The plan was to move Lolita to an ocean sanctuary. This sanctuary would be in the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. She would live out her life in her home waters.
The agreement clearly stated that Lolita would not be released into the open ocean. She would stay under human care in a protected area. This would ensure she continued to get food, medical care, and attention. After being fed by humans for many years, it was unclear if she could hunt on her own. Her trainers said she had become "dependent on people."
Moving Lolita needed permits from several government groups. Allowing her to leave the protected sanctuary would also need more permits. A historian named Jason Colby warned people. He said not to expect a full release back into the wild. He thought it would be a success if she could live in a sea pen in her home waters. He said, "I can't imagine that happening," referring to a "Free Willy moment" where she would join her wild family.
The CEO of The Dolphin Company, Eduardo Albor, was inspired by his daughter. He said moving Lolita would make her "a symbol for us and the future generations." This decision was made with Miami-Dade County and Jim Irsay. Jim Irsay owns the Indianapolis Colts and is a kind helper. The plan also included moving Li'i and Loke. They were Lolita's dolphin companions. Li'i stayed with Lolita during the planning. Loke and her baby Elelo moved to Shedd Aquarium in August 2023.
If Lolita had been moved, the trip would have been similar to her capture. She was being trained to swim into a special stretcher. A crane would lift this stretcher into a container of ice water. The container would then go onto a plane to Bellingham, Washington. From there, it would be put on a barge. This barge would take her by water to a sea pen. This pen was in a private location. She would continue to get medical care, security, and food 24 hours a day.
At first, Lolita would stay in a smaller area inside the sanctuary. Later, she would be allowed to swim in a larger netted area. This area would be about 15 acres (6 hectares). In the Friends of Toki plan, trainers and vets would care for her from floating platforms. Security would keep boats away from the netted area. A large part of the money for the move was for her ongoing care. This was especially for her big appetite. She would eat fresh local salmon. This is the natural food for southern resident orcas. In 2023, Lolita's daily care at the Seaquarium cost over $200,000 per month. Jim Irsay helped pay for this.
The whole process of moving the animals was expected to take 18 to 24 months. It would cost about $15–20 million. Most of this money would come from Jim Irsay. The Friends of Toki group worked with The Dolphin Company. This group included marine mammal scientists Diana Reiss and Roger Payne. It also included Lummi elder Squil-le-he-le (Raynell Morris). Charles Vinick from the Whale Sanctuary Project and Pritam Singh also helped. Albor said, "Regardless of different positions, we can make this extraordinary agreement happen."
Lolita's Health in Later Life
In 2021, the USDA reported that Lolita had a serious long-term illness. This was before The Dolphin Company took over. She had a problem on her lung. The main veterinarian, Tom Reidarson, said she "nearly died of pneumonia" in October 2022. She received more veterinary care in 2023.
A vet report from July 31, 2023, said her lung problem was smaller. Her blood tests and breathing samples were normal. Her white blood cell count was very low. This meant her health was slowly getting better. But she was still fighting the lung infection. She kept getting daily medicine for it.
Lolita's care team also changed her diet. They gave her the best quality salmon, herring, and capelin. They also added a small amount of squid. This was to help her digestive system.
Her daily activity levels were steady. Trainers were preparing Lolita for her move. They changed her activities from performing tricks to doing exercises. This was to make her stronger.
Improving water quality was also a big focus. This was to help Lolita's health right away. In May 2023, Eduardo Albor said The Dolphin Company spent over $500,000. This money was for upgrades to filter the water better. They also wanted to control the water temperature. They added an ozone generator instead of chlorine. Trainer Michael Partica said new chillers could make the water colder. This would be like the waters of the Pacific Northwest. The water from Biscayne Bay was very warm. But the chillers kept Lolita's pool temperature cool. It stayed around 14°C (upper 50s F). This was even when the air and source water were very hot. The vets reported that staff managed the water quality well.
Her Passing
On August 18, 2023, the Miami Seaquarium announced Lolita's death. They posted it on Facebook and Instagram. She died from kidney problems. Her health had gotten worse quickly in the two days before. Despite the vets' best efforts, she passed away that afternoon.
Later that month, the Miami Seaquarium confirmed the plan. After a check of her body, Lolita's remains would be burned. Then, they would be returned to her home area in the Pacific Northwest. On September 23, 2023, Lolita's remains were scattered. This happened off the coast of the Lummi Stommish Grounds. Members of the Lummi Nation held a traditional burial ceremony.
On September 25, 2023, the Miami Seaquarium announced something else. Li’i, the 40-year-old male Pacific white-sided dolphin, was moved. He was supposed to move with Lolita. But after her death, he was moved to SeaWorld San Antonio. He was reunited with his family members and other dolphins. This was so he wouldn't be alone.
Reactions to Her Death
After Lolita died, many people shared their feelings. PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said Lolita was never free. She urged families not to visit marine parks. She also asked marine parks to release dolphins into sea sanctuaries. Save Lolita, a group that wanted her released, said she would remind everyone. She would remind them to protect oceans and marine animals. Lindsay Oliver from World Animal Protection US said Lolita deserved freedom. She said, "It's time for this industry to end, so no more animals have to suffer like this. Swim free, Tokitae."
Ted Griffin, the man who captured Lolita, also spoke. He said he had "no regrets" about capturing orcas. He only regretted those who died from accidents during transport or injuries in captivity.
Efforts to Help Lolita
Many groups said Lolita was being treated unfairly. In 2003, a documentary called Lolita: Slave to Entertainment was made about her. In it, activists like Ric O'Barry spoke out. They argued against her living conditions. They hoped she could return to the wild. O'Barry had trained Hugo, another orca at the Seaquarium.
In 2012, a group called Orca Network asked the Washington state government for help. The state government supported returning Lolita to her home waters. They named a new Washington state ferry the MV Tokitae. This was after Lolita's earlier name. The ferry runs where Lolita and her family were chased during her capture.
On January 17, 2015, thousands of people protested. They gathered outside the Miami Seaquarium. They demanded Lolita's release. They also asked people worldwide to tweet "#FreeLolita."
In 2017, a USDA check found a problem. Lolita's tank was not big enough. It did not meet federal size rules.
In 2018, the Lummi Nation traveled to the Seaquarium. They brought a special totem pole carved for Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut. They sang to her and prayed for her return. But the Seaquarium did not let them get close. They could only be on the public sidewalk. Robert Rose, a Seaquarium curator, criticized the Lummi Nation. He said they didn't care about Lolita. He said they only wanted attention and money. But scholars and Jay Julius said these statements were unfair. They said it showed a lack of respect for Native American knowledge.
On September 24, 2020, it was 50 years since Lolita arrived. Members of the Lummi Nation and the local Seminole tribe traveled to Miami again. They held a ceremony for Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut. They again demanded her release. The totem pole journey continued into 2021.
Some people, like Andrew Trites, thought Lolita was too old. He said returning her to the ocean after 50 years would be "unethical." He called it a "death sentence." But other experts disagreed. They said if whales could be captured one by one, they could be helped one by one. They believed Lolita could be returned to her home waters.
In March 2023, the decision to move Lolita was announced. Animal rights groups like PETA and World Animal Protection supported the decision.
See also
- List of captive orcas
- List of individual cetaceans
- Keiko (orca), the star of Free Willy, and the first captive orca released to the wild
Images for kids
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Lolita performing in 1998
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Lolita performing
