7 April 6-12, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | In December 2022, Miami Seaquarium’s new owner, Edu- ardo Albor, revealed that he’d be open to moving the famed orca from her tank to the Salish Sea off the coast of Washington state. Albor’s proclamation about being “100 percent” committed to efforts to release Lolita set the animal-rights world abuzz, but, at the time, it was a cross-country trip without a set destination. Meanwhile, Irsay’s office contacted New Times after read- ing our story about the Seaquarium’s change of heart and said the Colts’ owner was interested in helping to free the orca. A partnership apparently has since materialized between Irsay, Friends of Toki, and Albor. Details are scant, but Irsay certainly appears able to pro- vide substantial financial backing to develop and maintain a sea pen or other type of sanctuary. If she’s moved to her native waters on the west coast, Lolita’s new custodians may include indigenous Salish people, the Lummi Tribe, who view her and other orcas as sacred beings. The group has strongly advo- cated for Lolita’s release from the marine park. The project is expected to cost at least $15 million, accord- ing to Lummi Tribe media relations. Phil Demers, who got to know Kiska while working at the marine park Marineland in Canada for 12 years, says observ- ers should temper their expectations. He says that a whale sanctuary was supposed to have been built for Kiska in Nova Scotia as far back as 2019, but the project was not completed before her death, on account of environmental concerns with the proposed site, logistical hurdles, and what Demers deems to have been unrealistic planning. “I see a timely PR statement,” Demers says of the recent announcement about Lolita, AKA Toki. “They see Kiska has died. They see more eyes on Toki and criticism growing.” During a flyover in December 2022 above the Miami Seaquarium, the animal-rights activist says, he saw Lolita’s tank filled with green algae and other muck while the dolphin tanks appeared pristine. It reminded him of maintenance is- sues in Kiska’s tank and convinced him that keeping Lolita at the Miami park while waiting for a faraway whale sanctuary to be built would put her health in peril. “I’m seeing Toki in the same condition Kiska was in, and I’m seeing the exact-same messages being repeated,” says De- mers. “We can’t continue to wait for a whale utopia to be built and wait for optimal conditions for her to enter this utopia... The longer we wait for perfection, the likelier it becomes that she is going to die.” He’s advocating for the whale to be removed immediately to another, larger-scale marine park that, in his view, may be better equipped to care for her. Veterinarian Jim McBain, whom Friends of Toki enlisted, said in December that water quality was getting better in the Seaquarium orca tank as a result of changes to the filter media and attempts to modernize the water recirculation system, which he conceded was outdated. “At present, Lolita receives round-the-clock care by a team of dedicated, highly-skilled, medical, nutrition and behavior experts,” said Albor. The Whale Sanctuary Project, a group at the center of ef- forts to create sanctuaries for Kiska and Lolita, says that mov- ing large marine mammals is complicated and requires transport permits and facility licensing. “These things will take time,” says Michael Mountain, co- founder of the group. As for Kiska’s release, his group says that negotiations with Marineland had been stymied for an extended period after the park was criminally charged in Canada for alleged mistreat- ment of animals. (The charges were later dropped.) Mountain maintains that the COVID-19 pandemic also interfered with plans for Kiska’s transport. Charles Vinick, who serves on the Whale Sanctuary Project board and is the executive director of Friends of Toki, previ- ously worked on the effort to move the captive orca Keiko back into the wild in the late 1990s. Keiko had starred in the 1993 movie Free Willy before a campaign mounted to free him from captivity. He was released into Icelandic waters in 2002 but died of pneumonia the following year at the estimated age of 27. Plans for Lolita have not contemplated a full release to the wild but rather a transport to a monitored sanctuary. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a statement saying that moving Lolita out of Miami Seaquar- ium would bring “long-awaited relief after five miserable de- cades in a cramped tank,” which federal inspectors previously determined does not meet minimum size requirements. “If Lolita is finally returned to her home waters, there will be cheers from around the world, including from PETA, which has pursued several lawsuits on Lolita’s behalf and battered the Seaquarium with protests demanding her freedom for years,” said PETA vice president and general counsel Jared Goodman. Before she makes a trip back home, Lolita will likely un- dergo transport training that dolphin experts have long said would be a key part of preparing for the daunting move. Dol- phin trainers interviewed by New Times over the years noted that it would be helpful if some of her Seaquarium trainers, with whom she’s formed strong relationships, accompanied her en route. They are the best bets in making her feel safe throughout the trip. A veterinary report released in February by McBain indi- cated that Lolita’s health was improving from the infection. “It’s too early to get excited,” reads the February 28 report. “However, there is reason to allow some optimism to enter the discussion.” [email protected] Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images Photo by Monica McGivern The longer we wait for perfection, the likelier it becomes that she is going to die.” “ Top: For decades, activists have been demanding Lolita’s release. Bottom: Jim Irsay, billionaire owner of the Indianapolis Colts, is helping with the effort to release Lolita.
