Template:Blog/Tokitae
Tokitae, also known as Lolita or Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, was a female orca who spent more than 50 years in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium. She was captured from her family in the Salish Sea in 1970, when she was about four years old, and sold to the aquarium for $6,000. She was also the subject of a long and passionate campaign by activists, scientists, and Native Americans to free her from her small and barren tank and return her to her home waters.
On Friday, August 18, 2023, Tokitae passed away from what is believed to be a renal condition. She was estimated to be 57 years old, making her the second-oldest orca in captivity