NOS News•
An orca that has been captive in the United States for more than 50 years is likely to be released within two years.
Miami Seaquarium, where the animal resides, has agreed with animal rights activists on the release. Orca Lolita (57) was captured near Seattle in 1970 and was used for years in shows at the aquarium in Miami. The release of the animal still requires permission from the state of Florida.
The discussion about the fate of the orca was accelerated by the documentary Blackfish in 2013. It critically examines the captivity of orcas. An action group has been campaigning for years for the release of the animal. Last year, the aquarium announced that it would stop showing Lolita. That paved the way for her release.
No natural enemies
An orca can live to be about eighty years old and has no natural enemies. So far there is little experience with the return to sea of previously captured killer whales.
In 1998, an orca was released into the wild for the first time in Iceland; Keiko. The animal was caught in 1979 and lived for years in an aquarium in Mexico. The killer whale was featured in the successful feature film Free Willy. After the first film, a campaign began to release Keiko into its natural habitat near Iceland. The animal was flown there in 1998.
The orca was released into a bay, but was able to go out on its own. Animal activists hoped that the animal would get used to its freedom. Keiko eventually died in 2003 at the age of 26, probably from pneumonia.
In the sequels of Free Willy a robot killer whale and digitally animated killer whales were used.
