VIRGINIA KEY, FLA. (WSVN) - After more than 50 years, it looks like Lolita the orca whale will be heading back home to the Pacific Northwest. It is a move animal advocates have been fighting for.
“Her leaving that tank is a success and improvement for her life,” said General Counsel for PETA Jared Goodman.
The arguably dangerous move from Virginia Key to a sanctuary off the Washington State Coast came after the killer whale showed a decline in her health last year, which led her to stop performing. A scathing federal report alleged Lolita was in inhumane conditions at the Miami Seaquarium.
“Regardless of how many decades she’s been in that tank, for millions of years, her species has evolved to have these needs, and those needs being met is critical for her to thrive,” said Goodman.
Now that her health is reportedly stable, a homecoming is possible for Lolita, also known as Toki. The killer whale was captured in the 1970s and has lived in a small enclosure at the seaquarium ever since. She is the second oldest orca to be held in captivity.
“The takeover of the facility by the Dolphin Company, which has been willing to work with friends of Toki to potentially move her, the former owners of the Seaquarium, they’ve never been willing to have those conversations before and certainly funding for the facility is something that also helps push this forward,” said Goodman.
The details of the potential release are expected to be announced Thursday. 7News has learned it is a partnership partially funded by Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts football team.
“If she ultimately makes it back to her home waters, there’s absolutely reason to pop the champagne and people will celebrate around the world,” said Goodman.
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