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Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

Southern Resident whales

The new owner of the Miami Seaquarium in the US has announced that it is exploring plans to release captive orca Tokitae, also known as Lolita, back into a sea sanctuary in her home waters of the Pacific Northwest. Tokitae has been held captive in a tank for over 50 years and kept alone for…

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The show is over for captive orca Lolita

Lolita, the orca, held at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida since 1970, will no longer perform in shows at the theme park. New managers at the Florida facility have announced that Lolita, also known to many as Tokitae, and thought to be around 56 years old, will be retired from performances in the stadium tank. MS Leisure, a…

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Tokitae Totem Pole Journey reaches Miami Seaquarium

The Lummi Totem Pole journey for Tokitae reached its final stop at the Miami Seaquarium last month, but tribal members and fellow protesters, including Orca Network, were not allowed to enter the marine park.  The Lummi Nation of Washington State traveled more than 3,000 miles cross-country from Seattle to Miami to raise awareness for Tokitae…

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Court denies appeal for Lolita, still held captive in Florida

Sadly, despite a plea from U.S. celebrity and well-known advocate Bob Barker to retire Tokitae (Lolita) to a seaside sanctuary, an appeals court ruling has blocked the latest effort to Free Lolita.  The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the Miami Seaquarium’s undersized tank, lack of social companions, and inadequate treatment was not…

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Lolita Case Returns to Court

The next step in the legal process to return Lolita (also called Tokitae) to her home waters in Washington State happened on December 6th in Florida.  An appeal on the Endangered Species Act (ESA)-based lawsuit against the Miami Seaquarium, which was dismissed in June 2016, seeks to overturn the district court’s ruling on ESA violations.…

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Mayday Monday – Ask an Expert

So, it’s not Monday, but we still wanted to share this amazing Ask an Expert with Howard Garrett of Orca Network about the current state of the Southern Residents and what the future holds for them.  Read on to find out more! 1) The decline in the Southern Resident population is a product of many different…

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Gearing up for Superpod 4

Next week I am heading back to San Juan Island for the fourth annual Superpod gathering, a week of talks, events, Q&A’s, whales, and a general celebration of all things orca.  While past events have primarily focused on captive orcas, the paradigm started to shift last year to include more information on wild orca populations…

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Lolita to remain in captivity after court ruling

A federal appeals court in the US has upheld a ruling that Lolita, the orca held in solitary confinement at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida, should remain at the park. A group of NGOs had alleged that the tank in which she is held violates animal government welfare standards. The court decided that while they…

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