Lolita (orca)

Lolita
Lolita performing in 1998
Other name(s)Tokitae[1]
Toki
Sk'aliCh'ehl-tenaut (Lummi nation)[2]
Speciesorca (Orcinus orca)
Sexfemale
Bornc. 1966[3]
DiedAugust 18, 2023(2023-08-18) (aged 56–57)[3]
Miami Seaquarium, Miami, Florida, United States
Years active1970–2022[4]
Known fororca who lived at the Miami Seaquarium for 53 years
Weight≈7,000 lb (3,200 kg)[5]
Named afterTitular character in Nabokov's novel Lolita

Lolita, also called Tokitae[6] or Toki for short, (c. 1966 – August 18, 2023),[3] was a captive female orca of the southern resident population captured from the wild in September 1970 and displayed at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida. She was retired from performing and taken off public display in 2022, and subsequently died in August 2023.[7] At the time of her death, Lolita was the second-oldest orca in captivity after Corky at SeaWorld San Diego.[8]

In March 2023, the Seaquarium announced that plans were being made for Lolita to be moved to a pen in the Salish Sea for the remainder of her life. On August 18, 2023, Lolita died from renal failure after exhibiting signs of distress over the prior two days.[9][10][11]

  1. ^ "Lolita". Orca Network. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference WaPo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Jones, Katie (August 24, 2023). "Toki will always be remembered". Center for Whale Research. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference l10 20220304 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Mapes, Lynda (June 17, 2019). "Remembering Lolita, an orca taken nearly 49 years ago and still in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "Lolita". Orca Network. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference aqua_main was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ McKenna, Cara (September 26, 2020). "Native Americans honor Lolita the orca 50 years after capture: 'She was taken'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "Over the last two days, Toki started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort, which her full Miami Seaquarium and Friends of Toki medical team began treating immediately and aggressively..." Miami Seaquarium. August 18, 2023 – via Instagram.
  10. ^ Bartick, Alex (March 30, 2023). "Captured Southern Resident orca Lolita to return to Puget Sound after more than 50 years". komonews.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  11. ^ Diaz, Johnny (March 30, 2023). "Lolita the Orca May Swim Free After Decades at Miami Seaquarium". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.