An unlikely coalition of a theme park owner, an animal rights group and an NFL owner-philanthropist announced a plan to return Lolita, an orca that has lived in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium for more than 50 years, to her home in the Pacific Northwest.
Lolita’s caretakers at the Seaquarium are already preparing her for the journey, officials said.longer stage shows with Lolita
Lolita was captured in Penn Cove off the coast of Washington in 1970 when she was about 4 years old. She was initially called Tokitae, or Toki.dozens of Pacific Northwest whales were caught for display in marine theme parks Animal rights activists including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have long fought for Lolita to spend her final years back home in a controlled setting.Activists often protest along the road that runs by the Seaquarium, which they’ve referred to as an “abusement park.” PETA says it doesn’t want Lolita to suffer the same fate as her partner Hugo, who died in 1980 from a brain aneurysm after ramming his head repeatedly into the tank’s walls.
He said his daughter told him “his place is too small for Lolita” and made him promise to help the orca if his company bought the park.Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called the agreement historic, saying, “So many have hoped and prayed for this result for many, many years.”Irsay said many hurdles lie ahead including securing government permits and working out all the details of the move, but the deal announced Thursday is a first step toward freedom for Lolita.
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