VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – Efforts to move Tokitae, the orca known as “Lolita” and “Toki,” out of the Miami Seaquarium to a seaside sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest continue, but that process is mired in legal red tape that could take months to iron out.
Right now major improvements need to be made to the stadium surrounding her habitat. Miami-Dade County inspectors deemed it unsafe in August of 2021 but the “Whale Stadium” can’t be fixed with “Toki” living inside that pool.
Lead Trainer, Michael Partica is among those who are caring for her and preparing her for a move out of the tank.
“It’s going to be a long process but I would love to see her move out of this pool and have more room. I believe she could make that move right now,” said Partica.
The 57-year-old orca has lived at the stadium for 53 years. It has never met industry standards and is the second smallest whale tank in the world.
In March of last year, Palace Entertainment/Parques Reunidos sold the Miami Seaquarium to the Dolphin Company which acquired the Whale Stadium in its current state. Dolphin Company Chief Executive Officer Eduardo Albor said about half a million dollars has been invested to improve the water quality but the structural work to the stadium cannot be done until Toki moves out.
“Bulldozer time,” said Albor, “no, this has to go.”
In the spring of 2022, The Dolphin Company partnered with the nonprofit Friends of Toki and in March made an official announcement that they were going to work together to move Toki to a seaside sanctuary in a natural sea pen in the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest near waters where she was captured as a four-year-old calf in 1970.
“I think we’re up to the task,” said Pritam Sing, co-founder, and executive director of Friends of Toki, “I think we can do it.”
But because Toki is protected under the Endangered Species Act; both state and federal regulatory agencies would need to approve it.
Albor said preliminary conversations with those agencies have already begun.
“They’re open to look into whether the transportation and the relocation plan meets the legal requirements”, Albor said.
The plan is not and has never been to free Toki into the open ocean. She’s been living in captivity for 53 years and marine mammal experts agree it is highly unlikely she would survive on her own as a wild orca. The plan is to continue to provide the same care, if not better, than what she is receiving at the Miami Seaquarium. That means a team of trainers and veterinarians would need to travel with her.
Partica and Jessica Comolli, the director of animal health at the Miami Seaquarium, are part of the team. Both say they are ready to follow Toki wherever she goes.
But the sea pen plan will take months, if not years, to happen if it’s approved.
Albor said that given the state of the habitat, there is a plan B, one that could involve a temporary host. SeaWorld in Orlando, underscores Albor, has the space, expertise, and vets already in place.
SeaWorld responded to Local 10′s request for comment.
“We have not had any conversations with the current owners of Miami Seaquarium about any potential involvement in Toki’s situation,” a SeaWorld in Orlando representative wrote in a statement. “We -- like the rest of the professional zoological community -- continue to watch this situation closely and hope that what’s in the best interests of her health and welfare remains the most important consideration.”
There is a third option, build Toki a brand new habitat, even if it’s only temporary.
“Whatever is the fastest and whatever is the best for her,” said Dr. Jenna Wallace, a veterinarian who used to work at the Miami Seaquarium in 2021.
“If that is going to be, build a pool and let her have her period of rehab, I think that’s great. I really do! She just needs to get out,” Wallace said.
But right now the goal is the sea pen. And those lobbying for it think they can finally bring Toki back home. Albor said he hopes to give the public one last chance to see her before she goes, so “even if she is relocated, it would give the opportunity to the people to come see her and say goodbye, somehow.”
When that will happen is still the big question. Hurricane season starts June first. Albor and “Friends of Toki” say there is a plan in place to begin to secure the Whale Stadium as best they can. A special response team has been assigned to stay with Toki should a storm threaten South Florida. All of this just underscores the need to move her from where she is. Right now the regulatory agencies hold all the cards to green light the sea pen and so far there is no other concrete plan on the table.
WATCH PART I
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Toki’ prepares to move out of Miami Seaquarium
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