Update on Tokitae and Plans for Her Seaside Sanctuary

By Mark J. Palmer

For all who have been anticipating Tokitae’s journey from a dreary life in captivity to one of dignity and connection in a natural environment, here is an update.

The orca Tokitae (also known as Lolita) remains in her tank at the Miami Seaquarium. The Friends of Toki, a nonprofit, now has overall responsibility for the care and health of Toki and for establishing a seaside sanctuary for her and two companion Pacific white-sided dolphins. The sanctuary will be located in her original home waters of the Pacific Northwest.

Both activists and members of the Lummi tribe have pushed for years to retire Tokitae to her place of origin. She was caught in 1970 in the waters off Washington State and has remained ever since at the Miami Seaquarium. Every single orca caught with her died during the captures or in captivity. Last year, the Miami Seaquarium was purchased by the Dolphin Company, which, through a series of negotiations, generously agreed to transfer possession of Tokitae to Friends of Toki, so that she could be moved to a seaside sanctuary.

Sites for Toki’s seaside sanctuary are being examined by a team of experts, and preliminary discussions are ongoing with the different government agencies that will be involved. The US National Marine Fisheries Service, for example, is especially concerned with any potential harm, such as disease transmission, to the endangered Southern Resident orca population that are part of Toki’s family. The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will also be involved to specifically to ensure that the sanctuary meets its standards for housing orcas.

Also included will be government agencies in Washington State, such as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources, with specific concerns regarding endangered orcas, wildlife and fish impacts, and water quality.

The infrastructure for the sanctuary will also be subject to permitting, as onshore living quarters, fish preparation for Toki’s consumption, and veterinary and training staff will need to be accommodated at the sanctuary.

In many ways, the government permitting process will dictate the speed of Toki’s transfer, rather than the designing and building of the sanctuary, which can proceed relatively quickly once all permits are in hand. Nonetheless, Bruce Irsay, the billionaire philanthropist who is helping fund the Toki sanctuary, recently tweeted that he was hoping to see Toki in her home waters by Christmas.

And how is Toki herself faring?

Last year, Tokitae was doing very poorly, suffering from a life-threatening infection and eating poor quality food supplied by the former owners. Thanks to efforts by the Dolphin Company and Friends of Toki, she has improved considerably.

A recent June 30 report on her health, written by veterinarians Dr. James McBain and Dr. Stephanie Norman, funded by Friends of Toki, indicated that she was doing well, with little evidence of any medical or behavioral issues.

She still receives antibiotics and antifungal medications because “…(s)he is still fighting infection, but we are seeing continued incremental improvements to each of the parameters we are monitoring.”

Tokitae is no longer on public display nor is she forced to entertain crowds (see photo above) as she used to do on a daily basis. The trainers and vets are working with her daily to improve her health and prepare her for the move.

Toki’s overall health is the ultimate determinant of her relocation to the Pacific Northwest.

Plans are moving forward, and we are all hopeful she will soon be able to return to her home waters.