Florida Park to Free Killer Whale Back Into the Wild

Ten years after the release of the documentary Blackfish (2013), one Florida park has agreed to return its killer whale to the ocean.

Killer whales – or orcas – have been a regular fixture in aquariums and theme parks for decades. Since the first orca was taken into captivity in 1961, the likes of SeaWorld in Orlando, San Antonio, and San Diego, Marineland in France, and Loro Parque in Tenerife have built their parks around exclusive killer whale experiences.

Does SeaWorld still have orcas?

Animal rights activists have always opposed the use of orcas for entertainment. But when Blackfish shared the story of Tilikum – a whale at SeaWorld Orlando involved with three of the four fatal attacks caused by orcas in captivity, including that on SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau – the conversation went global.

In the years since, multiple parks have eliminated their orca breeding program, including SeaWorld Parks. As of 2016, SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego, and SeaWorld San Antonio have all ceased breeding orcas, which means that their current residents will be the final captive orcas at SeaWorld.

Its newest park, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, opened its gates on Yas Island in May 2023 – totally orca-free. Instead, it focuses on educating guests about marine mammals and conservation.

SeaWorld has also decided to discontinue its theatrical orca shows. They instead use orcas for presentations known as “Orca Encounter” rather than having them perform as in the past. As of 2023, there are just 55 captive orcas in parks across the globe.

Freeing killer whales into the wild

This number is set to drop even further. Florida park Miami Seaquarium just announced plans to release Lolita – the world’s second-oldest captive orca – back into the ocean.

The aquarium, which is owned by the Dolphin Company, revealed on Twitter that they had negotiated the decision with the animal rights group Friends of Lolita.

We are proud to share that the @MiamiSeaquarium has entered into a formal and binding agreement with Friends of Lolita to change Lolita’s future. pic.twitter.com/oWWvbIgkFK

— The Dolphin Company (@TheDolphinCo_) March 30, 2023

Founded in 1955, Miami Seaquarium is one of the oldest oceanariums in the United States. Lolita joined the Park in 1970 after being captured as a calf in Washington’s Puget Sound.

She initially had a friend at the South Florida aquarium in fellow orca Hugo. However, he passed away in 1980 after injuring himself on the wall of the marine park tank where Lolita still lives alone today. One of the biggest complaints about orca captivity is that they’re social animals, living their entire lives in pods of two to 15 animals.

Lolita retired from performing in 2022. She’ll now return to her home waters in the Pacific Northwest, living in a semi-wild sea pen in the Salish Sea. She won’t be alone. A pair of pacific white-sided captive dolphins, Li’i and Loki, will also relocate back to the wild by her side.

At the age of 53, it’s questionable how prepared Lolita is for a coast-to-coast journey and the stress of adapting to her home waters over 50 years since she left. However, the trip is well-funded to ensure she receives the best care possible. The Guardian reports that Jim Irsay – the owner of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts – has made a “generous contribution” towards the venture.

Past attempts to free killer whales

Miami Seaquarium is the first park to return a captive killer whale back into the wild. It’s a highly controversial topic, with the only similar past example being Keiko – the star of Free Willy (1993) – who died a year after being released. During this time, the previously captive orca struggled to bond with a wild orca pod and instead followed from a distance and sought out human company when possible.

Now that one park is attempting to free another killer whale into the wild, it’ll be interesting to see which (if any) parks follow suit – especially if Lolita’s return goes smoothly.

Lolita is expected to leave Miami Seaquarium for the Pacific Ocean in the next 18 to 24 months.

How do you feel about releasing orcas back into the wild? Let us know in the comments!