A killer whale that was held inside a cramped tank for "five miserable decades" will finally be freed from captivity in a historic deal. Lolita the orca was captured from the waters of Washington in 1970, when she was just four years old, and has been forced to perform for millions of spectators at Miami Seaquarium ever since.
The 57-year-old whale is the oldest killer whale to be held in captivity and was finally pulled from performing after falling ill. It was revealed during a news conference on Thursday that the 7,000 pound ocean beast would eventually be set free at last, the Mirror reports.
The Miami Seaquarium, along with Florida non-profit Friends of Lolita and philanthropist and owner of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts Jim Irsay, struck a deal to release the whale so she can go to "home waters". Major Levine Cava said the agreement was "historic" and was a great day for Miami. She added: “So many have hoped and prayed for this result for many, many years.”
Animal rights activists have fought for Lolita to be returned to the wild for years as she's suffered inside a 'cramped' tank for fifty years, say PETA. Groups such as PETA have taken over the Seaquarium in protest and even pursued several lawsuits on the whale's behalf.
PETA Foundation Vice President and General Counsel for Animal Law Jared Goodman said in a statement: "If Lolita is finally returned to her home waters, there will be cheers from around the world, including from PETA, which has pursued several lawsuits on Lolita’s behalf and battered the Seaquarium with protests demanding her freedom for years.
“If the Seaquarium agrees to move her, it’ll offer her long-awaited relief after five miserable decades in a cramped tank and send a clear signal to other parks that the days of confining highly intelligent, far-ranging marine mammals to dismal prisons are done and dusted."
Animal rights-activists have waged decades-long campaigns to have Lolita removed from her tiny tank and poor living conditions. The tourist attraction is said to be aging and Lolita became a poster animal for change to encourage society to think differently about performing animals in captivity.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava defended the county's treatment of Lolita during the controversy over the creature's fate. She insisted that Lolita is being cared for by Miami-Dade's 'finest marine veterinarian experts' when asked by local media. She added: “As long as she has been in our care, she has been cared for."
Pritam Singh, founder of nonprofit Friends of Lolita, said there was a lot of work ahead of them before they'd be able to get the whale home. The US government has to agree to the move and officials in Miami and Florida will need to work together. He said: “There’s a lot of work to be done but I think we’re up to the task."
Southern orcas which spend several months of the year in Washington were added to the endangered species list in 2005 according to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The population of the whales has "fluctuated considerably" since the 1970s and had been 'reduced during 1965-75 because of captures for marine parks.'
In 1974, the population of whales was 71, which was the first year they were counted, and peaked at 96 in 1996. However the numbers had declined to 79 in 2001 with the current figures believed to be in the 70s.
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