Florida aquarium agrees to return Lolita the orca to Pacific after 53 years in tank

Eduardo Albor, CEO of The Dolphin Company, said in the statement that finding a better future for Lolita was one of the reasons his company recently bought the aquarium.

Pritam Singh, co-founder of Friends of Lolita, said it’s a “sacred privilege” to bring Lolita home under the terms of the binding agreement.

Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team, is partnering with Albor and Friends of Lolita to move the orca from her marine park tank, which measures 24 metres by 11 metres and is six metres deep. Overall the mission will cost US$15 million to US$20 million, they said.

“I’m excited to be a part of Lolita’s journey to freedom,” Irsay said. “I know Lolita wants to get to free waters.”

The plan is to transport Lolita by plane to Pacific waters off Washington state, where she will initially swim inside a large net while trainers and veterinarians teach her how to catch fish, Irsay said.

The orca will be under 24-hour care until she acclimates to her new surroundings.

Lolita’s caretakers at the Seaquarium are already preparing her for the journey, officials said.

The Dolphin Company took ownership of the park in 2021 and last year announced it would no longer stage shows with Lolita, under an agreement with federal regulators. The company operates some 27 other parks and habitats in Mexico, Argentina, the Caribbean and Italy.

Animal rights activists including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have long fought for Lolita to spend her final years back home in a controlled setting.

Activists often protest along the road that runs by the Seaquarium, which they’ve referred to as an “abusement park.” PETA says it doesn’t want Lolita to suffer the same fate as her partner Hugo, who died in 1980 from a brain aneurysm after ramming his head repeatedly into the tank’s walls.

Albor said Thursday that as his company was in the process of acquiring the Seaquarium, he and his daughter visited as tourists. He said his daughter became upset while watching Lolita’s show, even as many others in the crowd were squealing in delight.

He said his daughter told him “this place is too small for Lolita” and made him promise to help the orca if his company bought the park.

“That touched me,” Albor said.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called the agreement historic, saying, “many have hoped and prayed for this result for many, many years.”

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2023.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Florida aquarium agrees to return Lolita the orca to Pacific after 53 years in tank

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