People gathered in front of the Miami Seaquarium on Sept. 2 to draw attention to concerns over what’s going to happen to Li’i, the dolphin that lived with Lolita the orca.
Lolita, otherwise known as Toki was Miami Seaquarium’s main performer, She died on Aug. 18. She was believed to be 57 years old and lived in captivity in Miami for 53 years, where she suffered health problems last fall and never fully recovered, according to a report by the Miami Herald.
In an Instagram post announcing her death, the Miami Seaquarium said that Toki died from a renal condition.
Lolita’s shows ended in 2021 after the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Miami-Dade Unsafe Structures division raised concerns about the conditions her tank was in. In 2022, the Dolphin Company purchased the Miami Seaquarium and announced that Lolita would retire from performing.
Non-profit group Friends of Toki and owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay, partnered with the Miami Seaquarium and planned on moving Lolita to a seaside sanctuary in Washington state but could not secure federal permits or water rights to create a 7,000 sea pen, according to the Miami Herald.
“Animals like this don’t belong in captivity,” said Colleen Sola, a protestor outside the Seaquarium. “They are so smart. They belong in deep, deep ocean waters. Her family is still alive. There’s a lot that can be done and a lot that needs to be done.”
