Tokitae, a Southern Resident killer whale also known as Lolita, home to the Pacific Northwest after she was forcefully removed from a cove near Whidbey Island more than 50 years ago.The movement, once thought impossible, could happen within 18 to 24 months.Full details of a plan have not yet been released, though one speaker at today’s event mentioned the need to use a C-17 aircraft – what is traditionally considered a military transport plane.Tokitae has spent 52 years in a small pool in the Miami Seaquarium.
For decades people have been trying to bring her back to her ancestral waters – Lummi elders, activists and marine biologists have spent decades trying to negotiate her release.A whirlwind of events made today’s announcement possible.
The previous owners of the Miami Seaquarium long stated that moving Tokitae was unrealistic. A lot changed in a few years: she retired from performing, the Dolphin Company stepped in and bought the facility, and a health scare opened the door for a nonprofit known as ‘Friends of Lolita’ to step-in and help with her care."I, too, have been invested both personally and professionally in her care," said Miami-Dade county Mayor Danielle Levine Cava at a hotel rented out for the big announcement.Tokitae, also known as Lolita, pictured inside the Miami Seaquarium back in 2020.
The cost to move Lolita will be monumental, initial estimates state it could be $15 million to $20 million. Any plan would also have to be approved by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.That cost would likely be backed by a number of large financial backers including Pritam Singh, co-founder of Friends of Lolita and NFL owner Jim Irsay – a new name that emerged this week in this decades-long saga.Irsay.