August 8, 1970:
Tokitae ("Lolita") is a Southern Resident Orca - violently captured and taken from her family in the Salish Sea on August 8, 1970.
52+ years of captivity:
Tokitae has suffered in the smallest for an Orca in North America for 52+ years, and despite being in violation of the Animal Welfare Act, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has yet to acknowledge these blatant discrepancies. The first ten years of Tokitae's captivity were spent with a tank mate named Hugo. He died of a brain aneurysm after repeatedly ramming his head into the wall of the tank.
Life away from family:
Tokitae has lived in isolation for 42+ years. Her presumed mother "Ocean Sun" is still alive in the Salish Sea and the oldest member of L-Pod (a pod of Southern Resident Orcas). We hope that with enough support, Miami Seaquarium will release Tokitae so that she can spend the rest of her years living in a seaside sanctuary within the Salish Sea (perhaps with eventual release into the wild if viable).
You can help captive cetaceans like Tokitae! Please dive into our 'Take Action' page and speak up for cetaceans!
Aerial video recorded from drone provides heartbreaking glimpse of Tokitae's ILLEGAL tank where she has been forced to live for 52+ years.
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