Latest news with #Seaquarium
The Sun
06-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
What really killed Lolita? World's loneliest whale died weeks after millionaire's pledge to help free orca after 50years
BELOVED orca Lolita, who was known for her mind-blowing tricks and decades spent in captivity, died just weeks after she was due to be freed. Millionaire football club owner Jim Irsay worked with campaigners to release the depressed whale and return her to the Pacific ocean and her ageing mother - after 50 years at the Miami Seaquarium. 3 3 3 The killer whale, also called Tokitae by activists advocating for her release, was a superstar Florida attraction that tourists travelled across the country to see. She was taken from her mother aged four and used as the aquarium's star attraction for decades before falling ill. Activists long campaigned for her release from Seaquarium - who always strong denied any mistreatment of the whale and said said she was well cared for. In 2023, the park and campaigners formed an unlikely alliance to reunite the lonely orca with the waters of the Pacific Northwest, where her mother was believed to still roam. All this with the financial backing of football club, Indianapolis Colts, owner Jim Irsay. Just weeks before she was due to be released, Lolita died of kidney disease at 57-years-old. Her death sparked widespread outrage, with CEO at Humane World for Animals calling Tokitae the "embodiment of the wrongs done to her species". She said: "Through the years Tokitae became the very embodiment of the wrongs done to her species and other sentient wild animals used in aquariums, circuses and other performing acts. "In that sense, her life has had greater meaning. She helped shift the public's moral perspective, bringing into fruition a new ideal in which wild animals are left undisturbed and protected in their natural habitats. "But to say that it's a shame that her life had to be sacrificed for us to learn such a lesson would be a gross understatement." Park officials began to train Tokitae for release after a plan was made to take her back home to Washington state, but the orca began showing extreme signs of discomfort. Medical teams aggressively treated her ailments, which appeared to be pneumonia, until she finally succumbed to a renal condition. It followed a damning federal report in 2021 that accused the park of serious marine mammal violations and resulted into new ownership. What really killed Lolita? Campaigners had for decades claimed that she was far too big for the miniature tank that she lived in - which was only 20ft deep and just 35ft wide. Animal rights group PETA has said that Lolita's life there had been "a living nightmare" and begged for her not to suffer the fate of her partner, Hugo, who died from hitting his head repeatedly against the tank walls. Toki was one of six calves that were rounded up and sold by fishermen to marine parks in 1970. Most of the calves died within the first year of being in captivity, but Toki defied expectations and lived on while working a busy daily schedule. She performed tricks three times a day for audiences and lived in an 80-foot long and 35-foot wide tank, which was the smallest of its kind in the US. Just 10 years after Toki arrived at the aquarium, her companion Hugo died of an aneurysm that was caused by repeated head trauma, earning her the title of the world's loneliest whale. Million dollar backing While animal rights activists rallied support for her release, other environmental experts felt doubtful that she could live successfully in the wild after her life at the aquarium. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesman said after the move was announced that she could have posed a risk to existing populations in Washington waters. "If she is healthy enough to be transported, the issue is her skill set," said Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who advocated for improvements at Miami Seaquarium. "She doesn't know how to catch or hunt. We're not really sure if she can communicate with other whales because she's been alone." Her move was estimated to have cost $20million, and was going to be funded by Irsay. "I know Lolita wants to get to free waters. I don't care what anyone says," Irsay said before her death. "She's lived this long to have this opportunity. And my only mission is to help this whale get free." KILLER whale Kiska - dubbed the world's loneliest whale - died age 47 after living a "tortured existence" in captivity for decades. Tragic Kiska was captured in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Iceland in 1979 when she was just two-years-old. She died at MarineLand in Canada in March this year after outliving her five babies. Kiska was first taken to an aquarium in Iceland where she lived with four other young orcas, including Keiko - who starred in Free Willy. Shortly afterwards, Kiska was sold, along with Keiko, to MarineLand. She spent the last 12 years of her life completely alone in a tiny tank, and heartbreaking footage showed her shaking and smashing her head against the wall. Animal rights group PETA described Kiska as the "world's loneliest orca" whose life was marked by "tragedy after tragedy" after all five of her calves died before they were seven years old. Kiska became MarineLand's last orca in 2011. Animal activist and whistleblower Phil Demers said Kiska's life is "best described as a living nightmare". Phil became a whistleblower and went to the media to expose what he claimed was wrongdoing by MarineLand a decade ago. 'I know she wants to go home and I know she has the fire within her and the determination… this is an incredible story,' he said. Irsay made the announcement on his twitter stating: 'Dinner before today's Lolita press conference in Miami Beach! Key players in the massive plan to finally FREE this 8000 lb killer whale, Lolita!!…Stay tuned as this dream unfolds in real time." The complex operation was going to involve flying the 2268kg whale 3000 miles to Washington state, where she would be taught how to live in the wild again in an ocean sanctuary. This would have entailed teaching her to catch fish and build up her muscles for swimming before being released in Puget Sound, an estuary off the coast of Washington, where she was captured back in 1970. However, some campaigners feared that after so long spent in captivity she may no longer be equipped to survive in the wild. 'She's persevered the difficulties that we humans forced on her. She lived through her capture and the death of family members and living in this small tank for so many years," Pritam Singh, the founder of the advocacy group Friends of Lolita, told The Times. Miami Seaquarium confirmed in a statement after Lolita's death she died of a "multiple chronic conditions including renal disease and pneumonia" after an autopsy.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner and force behind Tokitae's return to PNW, dies at 65
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who had led the team since 1997 and presided over one of the storied franchise's greatest eras, died at the age of 65. Locally, Irsay became a huge part of the movement to bring Tokitae back to Puget Sound waters. Tokitae, an endangered southern resident orca, was taken from Penn Cove on Aug. 8, 1970 in a mass capture of orcas. She was just four years old. She was taken to the Miami Seaquarium, where she remained until her death in August 2023-- 53 years. Tokitae was forced to perform for a public audience and lived in a 20-foot deep tank. She was given the name 'Lolita' at the Seaquarium. Tokitae was the only surviving whale of the seven captured on Aug. 8, 1970 until her death. She also outlived other whales captured after her who were sold to theme parks. Following a documentary about her in 2003, which pre-dated the famous 'Blackfish' documentary, word began to spread about her health and living conditions. When an agreement with the Seaquarium was reached in 2023 to bring Tokitae back to Puget Sound to live out her last few years, one of the biggest issues raised was the logistics of getting a 7,000 pound whale from Florida to Washington. That's where Irsay came in. The cost to move her was estimated to be up to $20 million and would need approval from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. That doesn't include the cost it would be to create a safe home for her with barricades and provide constant care, food and veterinary exams On the Pat McAfee show on ESPN, Irsay committed to bankroll her transport and ongoing care. Before her death, she was trained to get into a sling that would have eventually been used to get her into a C-17 military transport plane. 'I'm into this thing with my hands on as a producer, and it was going nowhere,' Irsay said on the Patt McAfee Show. 'I'm putting up tens and tens of millions of dollars. I said, 'Let's go. She's healthy, I got the money. Let's move and get all these permits.' 'We're going to get a big C 17 or 747. We have her tanks. She's been practicing getting in her netting so she can get put in the tank,' Irsay said. 'It's four feet of natural water with whale whispers and vets with her. All the vets are moving out there, all the trainers, I'm getting housing for them. This is being planned to the detail with aggressive nature of saying, let's try to get this done.' Unfortunately, Tokitae died before these plans could be put in place. On top of efforts to free Tokitae, Irsay is remembered for his other philanthropic acts. He started an organization aimed at tackling advocacy and resources for those experiencing a mental health crisis in Indiana, and has advocated for music programs and animal welfare. In 1997, he was the youngest NFL franchise owner with the Colts. Under Irsay's watch, the Colts advanced to two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLI after the 2006 season. Irsay died at the age of 65 on May 20. His cause of death is unknown but Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward said he 'died peacefully in his sleep.' Irsay is survived by his daughters Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson; his ex-wife and his daughters' mother, Meg Coyle; and 10 grandchildren. Irsay is survived by his daughters Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson; his ex-wife and his daughters' mother, Meg Coyle; and 10 grandchildren, according to ESPN.
