MIAMI -- Lolita, the killer whale that performed at the Miami Seaquarium for more than 50 years, has been retired as management changes at the Virginia Key attraction. No more flips and splashes in the stadium. No more public glimpses of the tank.
Lolita has been a focus at the Seaquarium for years. She was the star attraction at the marine theme park. But protest groups and the federal government also put her in the spotlight.
Here are seven things to know about Lolita:
Her name
Her stage name is Lolita. She is known to her trainers as Tokitae or Toki.
Her capture
She was captured in Puget Sound in Washington state in 1970 and brought to the Miami Seaquarium where she began performing.
Her partner
When she arrived in Miami, she began performing with the Seaquariu’m’s star attraction at the time, Hugo the killer whale. They performed together for 10 years. Hugo died in 1980 of a brain aneurysm.
Investigation
Her tank size and conditions have been an issue for years, and Lolita has not been performing for several months after a USDA investigation.
Tale of the tape
Lolita is 56 years old, 20 feet long and 7,000 pounds. She has been living in a 20-foot-deep tank
‘Free Lolita’
She was the focus of a “Free Lolita” campaign, even before the movies “Blackfish” and “Free Willy” intensified the effort, and has been in the spotlight at PETA-led protests in front of the attraction.
Killer whales or whale killers?
Killer whales like Lolita are orcas, members of the dolphin family. In a reversal of their nickname, they can be whale killers. A study has found they kill and eat blue whales in the wild.
