Lolita/Tokitae - 50 Years in Captivity
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM OrcaNetwork.org
August 2020

For fifty years she has continued to use the calls of her pod, and reacts when she hears recordings of her family.

[Please watch Lolita: Slave to Entertainment]

Orca Lolita
Lollita/Tokitae capture and her solitary life at Seaquarium...

Fifty years ago, all three Southern Resident orca pods were chased and herded into Penn Cove on Whidbey Island. Over the next several days, families were torn apart.

Calves were separated and put behind nets with their mothers remaining close, refusing to leave their sides. Four young orcas died during the 1970 Penn Cove capture and seven others were taken away for a life of captivity, while their family members watched and grieved.

All of the captive orcas had died by 1987, except one.

For fifty years, Lolita/Tokitae/ Sk’aliCh’elth-tenaut has been forced to perform in a tiny tank, yet somehow she remains gentle, graceful and patient.

For fifty years she has continued to use the calls of her pod, and reacts when she hears recordings of her family.

After fifty years of servitude she deserves to retire. It’s time for her to come home.

We love you Tokitae and we’ll never give up. We will bring you home!

For more, visit SAVELOLITA.ORG.

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