Originally named Tokitae, Lolita was caught among 7 others in Puget sound on August 8th 1970 and sold to the Miami Seaquarium for $6,000, where she has lived for over 40 years. She is currently the oldest orca whale in captivity.
Another orca, called Hugo, was caught some time before Lolita. They were kept in separate tanks and were eventually moved to the same one, known as the Whale Bowl. Hugo died on March 4 1980 from a brain aneurism he got from banging his head against the side of his tank too many times.
Though she was captured at only 4 years old, Lolita still makes the calls of her subpod, subpod L25. The hope is to retire her from the Miami Seaquarium so she can once again live with her family in the Pacific.
