Li’i, a 40-year-old Pacific white-sided dolphin who spent 35 years at the Miami Seaquarium, has been safely relocated to SeaWorld San Antonio, officials said.
Both the Miami Seaquarium and SeaWorld San Antonio made the official announcements on Facebook, Monday.
Li’i’s arrival follows the recent death of its lifelong companion Lolita, an orca whale that had been held captive at the Miami Seaquarium for more than a half-century.
At the time, Miami Seaquarium caregivers were preparing to move her from the theme park.
“After the departure of Lolita, our animal care experts suggested his relocation to a habitat with other peers of his species and our efforts to look for his well-being took him to SeaWorld in San Antonio,” officials said.
Federal and state regulators would have had to approve any plan to move Lolita, and that could have taken months or years. The 5,000-pound had been living for years in a tank that measures 80 feet by 35 feet and is 20 feet deep.
According to SeaWorld San Antonio officials, their facility is “one of only two places in the United States to care for his species, and our veterinary team is experienced with caring for older animals like Li’i and can provide a custom care regimen that will be in his best interest.”
In the post, they went on to say, “He will receive world-class care based on accredited zoological standards for the remainder of his life.”
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