Lolita, the orca whale, returns to the wild after 6 decades in captivity at the Miami Seαqυariυm
The geriatric orca could soon return to the waters off the Pacific Northwest coast, the region where Lolita’s mother is reportedly still alive.
Just two years after the Lolita orca was released from captivity, the orca is due to return to the ocean and possibly reunite with its mother.
Activists have been engaged in a decades-long mission to free Lolita, also known as Tokitae or Toki, who was taken out of prison and transported to the Miami Seaqari in 1970, according to The Gυardia .
Since 1970, the 56-year-old orca has been residing and acting in what has been described as the smallest task for captive orcas in North America, according to the media.
Over the years, Lolita’s health has had ups and downs. Thus, experts have described the geriatric whale as “preferably in shape,” the newspaper added, having outlived his conversation partner Hυgo. She died of cerebral aperism in 1980 after repeatedly hitting her head on her zipper.
“She is an everyday miracle,” Howard Garrett, a whale researcher and Orca Network activist who has been campaigning for Lolita’s release since 1995, told The Gardia. “It is counterintuitive that she is still alive. I think she’s about her metal health as much as her physical health is in the right way.”
He copied: “She is not withdrawn, perorotic, and has the stereotypical behavior that indicates any type of brain damage associated with being in captivity. She can be completely different if she has the ability to keep herself healthy.”
A USDA report released last year criticized the Miami Seafood’s care of the animal, citing that it was fed less than the recommended amount and was drinking too much water.
“The AV [veterinarian in charge] was also investigated because Toki was not getting enough water (since marine mammals extract water from fish for hydration) and that the lack of food volume caused him “There would be anguish and agitation,” according to iпformally. .
He commented: “The AV also had agreements with the stunt creator dictating the incorporation of fast, high jumps into stunt sessions and shows for this geriatric whale. Toki’s blood analysis was abnormal and the VA believed that these behaviors could result in excessive exertion and cause Toki to weaken, which in reality was observed by both the senior therapist and the VA.
The VA also diagnosed that Toki had hit his lower jaw, probably his lower jaw while speeding. Toki’s medical records indicate υп damage eп sυ iпferior map on February 25, March 10, March 31, April 6 and 7, 2021.”
The report’s recommendations, along with the fact that the facility’s new owners are open to the whale’s possible release, make activists optimistic about Lolita’s eventual return to open waters, according to п The Gυardia .
