Miami Seaquarium’s killer whale Lolita dies of kidney disease at age 57 before he was due to be released to the Pacific
- Lolita, the “world’s loneliest whale,” has died at the age of 57, just months after her retirement and as plans for her return to the wild were put into action
- The Miami Seaquarium, where Lolita, also known as Tokitae, lived in captivity for more than 50 years, announced her death on Friday
- Experts and concerned individuals have long protested Lolita’s prison conditions, including the size of her 80-foot-long and 35-foot-wide pool, the smallest of its kind in the United States
Lolita, once dubbed the ‘world’s loneliest whale’, has died at the age of 57 just months after retiring as plans for her return to the wild were put into action.
The Miami Seaquarium, where Lolita, also known as Tokitae, lived in captivity for more than 50 years, announced her death on Friday.
“Despite receiving the best possible medical care, she died Friday afternoon, believed to be of kidney disease,” the Seaquarium said in a statement.
“Toki was an inspiration to all who were lucky enough to hear her story and especially to the Lummi nation who thought of her family.”
“Those of us who have had the honor and privilege of spending time with her will always remember her wonderful spirit,” it said.
Lolita, the “world’s loneliest whale,” has died at the age of 57
Miami Seaquarium announced her death on Friday
Experts and concerned individuals have long protested Lolita’s prison conditions, including the size of her pelvis, which is 80 feet long and 35 feet wide
In the last two days, Lolita showed serious signs of illness and passed away despite treatment.
In March, it was announced that a binding agreement had been reached between The Dolphin Company, which owns the marine aquarium, and non-profit organization Friends of Lolita to return the whale to its home waters in the Pacific Northwest.
Seaquarium, non-profit organization Friends of Lolita, and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay announced at a press conference that they would be working to transfer Lolita to her home waters in about 18 months.
“I think she will be very happy to be back and it will be therapeutic for her as opposed to the misconception that it will be stressful,” Orca Network’s Howard Garrett told KOMO News at the time.
Experts and concerned individuals have long protested Lolita’s prison conditions, including the size of her 80-foot-long and 35-foot-wide pool, the smallest of its kind in the United States.
Just ten years after Lolita’s arrival at the aquarium, her companion Hugo died from an aneurysm caused by repeated head injuries, earning her the title of the world’s loneliest whale.
The Lummi Nation of Washington, a Native American tribe, traveled to Miami in 2018 to leave behind a nearly 4,000-pound totem pole to bring the orca back to Washington. It’s part of an $8.5 million drive to bring Lolita home, they say
Jewell James, a member of the tribe, accused the Seaquarium of giving up the animal’s needs for money, forcing it to perform in front of audiences several times a day, saying it was like being held in a prison cell if you holding it in the 20 foot tank.
“She is our relative and we want her back,” he said.
Lolita was the oldest whale in captivity at 56 and performed until 2022, when she finally retired after falling ill.
The killer whale Lolita, also known as Tokitae, was caught off the coast of Washington in 1970 (pictured). She spent most of her life at the Miami Seaquarium
Lolita performed for decades before retiring due to illness last year. At 57 years old, she was the longest living whale in captivity
Just 10 years after Lolita arrived at the aquarium, her companion Hugo died of an aneurysm
On average, orcas in captivity only live about 45 years.
The orca was caught off the coast of Washington in 1970 when she was four years old, and her mother, who is now almost a century old, is still believed to have swam in these waters.
Catching orcas was legal in the 1970s, but after a series of protests against hunters attempting to capture orcas from their mothers, Washington outlawed the practice.