Lolita the Orca, an impressive six-meter long orca, is set to be released back into the ocean near her home in Puget Sound, Washington after spending more than 50 years in captivity. The announcement comes after years of campaigning from conservation and animal rights groups, who argue that Lolita should no longer be forced to live the rest of her life in the confines of the Miami Seaquarium tank.
The orca, who activists had dubbed ‘Lolita’, was captured in 1970 and has been held captive at the Miami Seaquarium ever since. Lolita has outlasted seven other orcas detained at the facility, and is the last survivor of the facility’s original Whale and Dolphin exhibition.
The news of Lolita’s release comes after a bitter legal fight between the aquarium and members of the Lummi Nation tribe, an Indigenous Indian Nation who have long maintained fishing rights in the area. The tribe is claiming that the Seaquarium have violated the Whaling Act, which states that the taking of orcas from the region’s waters must be done in an ethical and humane manner.
The Lummi Nation have welcomed the news and expressed their plans to set up a ‘sanctuary’ for Lolita back in Puget Sound. Advocates for the project explain that the sanctuary would provide a controlled environment where humanity can observe and care for Lolita, allowing her to transition safely back into her natural environment.
The current plan for Lolita’s relocation will involve physically transporting the orca, who is estimated to weigh nearly three tons, a distance of 2000 miles, from Miami back to her home in the waters of Puget Sound. The journey is expected to last up to two days, though detractors have argued that the process could be too traumatic for the orca.
It is currently unclear when the relocation process will being, but activists are optimistic that it will soon begin and are thrilled to have the opportunity to finally reunite Lolita with her family. After spending 50 years in captivity, Lolita will soon have the chance to experience the open sea like never before.
