Orca Lolita dies after 52 years in captivity at Miami Seaquarium
Lolita, an orca held captive for more than half a century at the Miami Seaquarium, has died at the estimated age of 57 from suspected kidney disease.
Also known as Tokitae or Toki, she was believed to have been the world’s second-oldest killer whale.
Her death on Friday came as her caregivers were making preparations for her to return to the ocean in the near future.
The Seaquarium posted a statement saying the whale had “started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort” over the last two days, for which they said she had been treated “immediately and aggressively”.
They went on: “Despite receiving the best possible medical care, she passed away Friday afternoon from what is believed to be a renal condition.”
Staff went on to call her “an inspiration” and a “beautiful spirit,” highlighting the Lummi Nation (a Native American tribe based in Washington state) who they said “considered her family”.
The theme park also shared a short video on social media showing her performing tricks in her pool and interacting with her keepers.
A life in captivity
Lolita had spent decades performing for Miami crowds after being captured in the summer of 1970, when she was around four years old, during a period of deadly orca roundups.
An orca believed to be her mother, Ocean Sun, who is now in her 90s, continues to swim free with other members of their clan in the waters between Washington state and Canada.
Animal rights activists have since spent years fighting to have Lolita – who weighs 5,000lbs (2,267kg) – freed from captivity, where she lived in a tank that was 80ft by 35ft (24 metres by 11 metres) and 20ft (6 metres) deep.
She retired from performing last spring as a condition of the park’s new exhibitor’s licence with the US Department of Agriculture and had not been publicly displayed since.
Earlier this year the park’s relatively new owner, The Dolphin Company, and the non-profit Friends of Toki announced a plan to move her to a natural sea pen in the Pacific Northwest, with the financial backing of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.
‘I am heartbroken’
Responding to her death, Mr Irsay said: “I am heartbroken that Toki has left us.
“Her story captured my heart, just as it did millions of others. I was honoured to be part of the team working to return her to her indigenous home, and I take solace in knowing that we significantly improved her living conditions this past year.
“Her spirit and grace have touched so many. Rest in peace, dear Toki.”
President of The Dolphin Company, Eduardo Albor, wrote on social media: “Not a single effort we made to give Lolita an opportunity was a waste of time & money. My heart is truly broken.
“Lolita captured me since 1st day. Love at first sight. Thank you for making [me] believe in what we do. The care team led by Mike Partica and Dr. Reiderson are true heroes.”
Pic: AP
Tony Hillaire, the chairman of the Lummi Nation – who have spent years working to secure Toki’s release and to return to her home waters – said: “The Lummi Nation is saddened by the news that our beloved Orca relative has passed away at the estimated age of 57 years old.
“Our hearts are with all those impacted by this news; our hearts are with her family.
“We stand in solidarity with our Lummi members who poured their hearts and souls into bringing Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut [Toki’s name in the Lummi language] home.”
In recent months, new upgrades had been installed to better filter the orca’s pool and regulate her water temperature.
Despite Lolita’s freedom being in sight, there would have still been hurdles to overcome, with federal and state regulators still needing to approve plans to move her, which could have taken months or years.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
A farmer who fell from a greenhouse roof during an anti-immigrant raid at a licensed cannabis facility in California this week has died of his injuries.
Jaime Alanis, 57, is the first person to die as a result of Donald Trump’s Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) raids.
His niece, Yesenia Duran, posted on the fundraising site GoFundMe to say her uncle was his family’s only provider and he had been sending his earnings back to his wife and daughter in Mexico.
The United Food Workers said Mr Alanis had worked on the farm for 10 years.
“These violent and cruel federal actions terrorise American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” the union said in a recent statement on X.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it executed criminal search warrants at Glass House Farms facilities on Thursday.
Mr Alanis called family to say he was hiding and possibly fleeing agents before he fell around 30ft (9m) from the roof and broke his neck, according to information from family, hospital and government sources.
Agents arrested 200 people suspected of being in the country illegally and identified at least 10 immigrant children on the sites, the DHS said in a statement.
Mr Alanis was not among them, the agency said.
“This man was not in and has not been in CBP (Customs and Border Protection) or ICE custody,” DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.
“Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30ft. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”
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Four US citizens were arrested during the incident for allegedly “assaulting or resisting officers”, the DHS said, and authorities were offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person suspected of firing a gun at federal agents.
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In a statement, Glass House, a licensed Cannabis grower, said immigration agents had valid warrants. It said workers were detained and it is helping provide them with legal representation.
“Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” it added.
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