Orca may edge closer to freedom
Print Edition
Lolita, a killer whale that has lived in a tank at Miami’s Seaquarium for 44 years, could move a step closer to freedom this week.
After decades of campaigning, animal rights activists hope US officials will include the orca on a list of endangered whales that frequent the waters where she was captured, off Washington state.
That decision could trigger a lawsuit by activists who want to fly 3,175 kilogram Lolita across the country and prepare her for release.
About 1,000 protesters gathered outside Miami Seaquarium this month to demand the release of Lolita, who performs seven days a week and was the subject of the 2003 documentary “Lolita: Slave to Entertainment.”
Officials at Miami Seaquarium, where the orca has lived since 1970, say the release plan is dangerous and Lolita would not survive in the wild after so many years in captivity.
“This is a non-releasable animal,” said curator Robert Rose. If freed, “she’s going to die without question.”
Lolita was captured in August 1970, 50 miles northwest of Seattle, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). She was believed to be about 10 years old at the time.
Under a plan supported by activist groups, Lolita would, after open water training, be released into the wild to join whales from her original pod.
“They’ll be able to communicate, and begin reforming a bond broken 40 years ago,” said Howard Garrett, director of the Orca Network.
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