Lolita the orca has died after more than 50 years in captivity and just before she was set to be released.
The animal who is also known by the Native American name Tokitae - or Toki for short - was once dubbed the ‘loneliest orca in the world’ as she lived in captivity at Miami Seaquarium since 1970.
In the two days leading up to her death on Friday (18 August), Lolita is said to have experienced ‘serious signs of discomfort’.
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Despite the best efforts from medical teams at the Seaquarium and the non-profit organisation Friends of Toki, she died in the afternoon from what is believed to be a renal condition.
Friends of Toki and the Seaquarium released a statement announcing the news of her death and paid tribute to the sea creature as an ‘inspiration to all’.
The statement reads: “Over the last two days, Toki started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort, which her full Miami Seaquarium and Friends of Toki medical team began treating immediately and aggressively.
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“Despite receiving the best possible medical care, she passed away Friday afternoon from what is believed to be a renal condition.
“Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story and especially to the Lummi nation that considered her family.
The statement concludes: “Those of us who have had the honour and privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit.”
Lolita was a Southern Resident Killer Whale and was the only orca that was caught in U.S. waters to still be in captivity prior to her death. She is estimated to have been born in 1966 or 1966 and was captured in Penn Cove in the waters off the Pacific Northwest on 8 August, 1970.
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She was forced to perform daily shows for decades and entertained millions of guests. Lolita was reported to be in ill health in 2021. She continued performing until 2022 when she was finally retired.
Animal rights campaigners had fought for her release into the wild for years and raised concerns about the conditions she was kept in particularly her tank, which was only 80 feet long, 35 feet wide tank and 20 feet deep.
In March, it was decided that Lolita would be released from Miami Seaquarium to be returned to ‘home waters’ in the Pacific Northwest for the rest of her life.
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Her freedom was confirmed at a news conference today (30 March), which was held by the aquarium in Florida along with the non-profit Friends of Lolita and philanthropist and owner of the NFL team Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay.
Plans were underway to release Lolita prior to her unfortunate death.
PETA - the largest animal rights organisation in the world - paid tribute to Lolita and drew attention to other wild animals still in captivity.
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PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said: “Kind people begged the Miami Seaquarium to end Lolita’s hellish life in a concrete cell and release her to a seaside sanctuary, where she could dive deep, feel the ocean’s currents, and even be reunited with the orca believed to be her mother, but plans to move her to a seaside sanctuary came too late, and Lolita was denied even a minute of freedom from her grinding 53 years in captivity.”
Gregory Robinson