Lolita, a beloved orca who spent more than five decades entertaining visitors at the Miami Seaquarium, died on Friday. The death of the orca, also affectionately known as Tokitae or Toki, comes just months after the Seaquarium – in light of mounting pressure from animal activists – announced that it was preparing to return Lolita to the ocean and was training her for the same. As per a statement shared on the Miami Seaquarium's Facebook page, Lolita had exhibited distressing symptoms over the past 48 hours and ultimately succumbed, likely due to a renal issue.
Lolita was captured alongside six other killer whales off the Washington state coast back in 1970. She remained in captivity throughout her life. The Dolphin Company, the owner of the marine park, had announced in March their intention to relocate Lolita, with the process expected to take place over the next 18 to 24 months.
In its statement, the Seaquarium also honoured Lolita as a lasting source of inspiration for numerous individuals. At the time of her passing, the orca was roughly estimated to be around 57 years old. The statement said, “Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story and especially to the Lummi nation that considered her family. Those of us who have had the honor and privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit.”
The death comes as a shock for many as just four days before the tragedy, in a Facebook post, the Seaquarium said that Lolita was “very stable and as good as she can be at 50 years of age.” “A proof of her good health is her good appetite. Last week Lolita ate an average of 115 pounds of first-class gourmet fish, based on salmon (60%), herring (35%) and squid (5%), mainly brought from the USA and Canada,” the post said, adding that her “veterinary team is made up of five veterinarians who have brought together an amazing medical preventive program to keep her in optimum health conditions to be able to soon begin training the necessary behaviors for her trip to the ocean.”
On Friday, it remained unclear why Lolita's condition took a downturn just a week after the Seaquarium had provided a positive update. Later in the same day, the Seaquarium issued a statement, explaining that Lolita's health had experienced a rapid deterioration.