The Miami Seaquarium, owned by the Dolphin Company, has reached a deal with animal welfare advocates to release killer whale Lolita to her home waters.
Lolita was taken from the Pacific Ocean to Florida to perform more than 50 years ago. For many years, animal rights activists have said she should be returned to the waters where she was captured.
In a statement, the Dolphin Company said it has “executed a binding agreement” with Friends of Lolita to “return the beloved Lolita to her home waters”.
“Lolita will receive the highest quality care as the team works to make relocation possible in the next 18 to 24 months,” the statement added.
In 2022, the Miami Seaquarium agreed to end shows featuring Lolita, a 57-year-old orca also known as Tokitae or Toki.
This came after the Dolphin Company took over operations at the Miami Sequarium from Palace Entertainment, a subsidiary of Parques Reunidos.
“Finding a better future for Lolita is one of the reasons that motivated us to acquire the Miami Seaquarium,” said Eduardo Albor, CEO of the Dolphin Company.
In response to the news that Lolita will be liberated, the PETA Foundation’s VP and general counsel for animal law, Jared Goodman, said there will be “cheers from around the world”.
Goodman said PETA has “pursued several lawsuits on Lolita’s behalf and battered the Seaquarium with protests demanding her freedom for years”.
“Cheers from around the world”, says PETA
The release will provide Lolita with “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”, he added.
The Dolphin Company is the largest theme park operator in Latin America. It owns more than 30 parks and habitats in eight countries, including the US, Italy, Mexico and Argentina.
Earlier this month, a bill that would ban elephant captivity in New York City was introduced by Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif.
Meanwhile, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus is returning without animal performers.
