“A flock of birds flew over the remains of the 7,000-pound black-and-white whale while the park staff looked on mournfully.”- Izzy Kapnick and Alex DeLuca from Miami New Times. Lolita or Tokitae, a female orca who was captured from the ocean and separated from its family at only 4 years old, has died after 50 years of captivity under the care of the Miami Seaquarium. On August 18 of 2023, Lolita died in the same small tank where she spent her whole life in captivity, where she was forced to perform, and where she was allegedly abused.
A Small Home For A Big Whale
Journalist, Maddalena Bearzi, shares her “Soul-crushing” experience on a visit with Lolita. On an article with LA Times, she writes about the condition Lolita seemed to be in. “She was lonely”, Bearzi explains, as she mentions that the only other member of her own species who would have kept Lolita company, Hugo, had died in 1980 from a self inflicted brain aneurysm. Bearzi mentions that she shared her small tank with a couple of Pacific white-sided dolphins, “unshielded from the scorching sun, deprived of environmental enrichment and forced to perform daily in a pool so minuscule she could barely swim.” Bearzi also noticed that all Lolita would do is float and swim around in circles. The tank where Lolita lived and shared with the other dolphins for decades only measured about 80 feet long and 35 feet wide. Victoria Heath from Dive Magazine, describes it as “the smallest aquarium pool of its kind in North America.” According to Heath, this is where Lolita was forced to perform tricks three times a day for about 45 years.
In 2022, the USDA filed another report. In the report is stated that the Assistant Director of Animal Training (ADAT) and Animal Care Specialist Manager had agreed to cut the diet of 9 out of 12 dolphins by 60%, without consulting the Attending Veterinarian of the facility (VA). This diet change resulted in a huge noticeable, visible weight loss for these dolphins. Change of their behavior was also a concern. According to this report, several dolphins had become more aggressive towards objects, guests, and trainers. The VA believed it to be because of the drastic diet change and other medical concerns. The USDA report claims that the facility failed to communicate any issues and concerns to the VA which resulted in improper medical care.
On Going Issues And Concerns At Miami Seaquarium
Reports from the United States of Agriculture would answer all of our questions on whether Miami Seaquarium really had their best interest in Lolita. Miami New Times found these reports from 2021 that describe what they found as “tank disrepair, foul fish food, and major problems with water quality.” They also spoke with a former Seaquarium veterinarian, Jenna Wallace, who confessed that “persistent water quality issues and a reduction in Lolita’s diet by more than 25 percent likely played a role in her initial deterioration.” Miami New Times also found in the reports that Lolita had been suffering from a “chronic infection”. They explained that this infection “left Lolita in a fragile state over the past two years, by all accounts.” Cutting diet seems to be an ongoing issue with the Miami Seaquarium.
Miami New Times also points out another concerning fact from the 2021 USDA report about the whale’s auditorium, which dates back to 1970. They quote, “Chunks of deteriorating paint flaked off into Lolita’s tank, and that a section of pool laminate on one of the slide-out area on the island was missing, revealing the cement underneath.” An unsafe-structure noticed was issued for the stadium in August of 2021.
shut It Down !
It seems to be that the Miami Seaquarium does not care about these animals, which They are violently taken from their home, their families, and livelihood just to be forced to perform multiple times a day but they do not give them the proper care that they need all while they are starved and malnourished. Their living conditions are also not ideal for an animal who is meant to live in the ocean free to travel the whole world. Lolita (Tokitae) died under their care but she didn’t die in vain. She was a strong whale that went through a lot of pain and suffering and lived for so long to be denied the freedom she deserved. Her death should be an eye opener that these places are a torture chamber for animals who, as well as humans, have feelings. They feel pain, joy, anger, and sadness. It is time to shut these places down. It is time to shut the Miami Seaquarium down and free all other creatures back to their homes and families in the name of Lolita.
Sources
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/what-killed-lolita-the-whale-at-miami-seaquarium-17678541
https://divemagazine.com/scuba-diving-news/57-year-old-orca-held-captive-in-florida-aquarium-to-be-released
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-08-05/orcas-whale-capture-lolita-miami-florida-tokitae
10.28.22 USDA inspection- Miami Seaquarium