Name

Tokitae (toh-KEE-tay) means "shimmering water" in Native American.
Lolita (lo-LEE-tah) means "strong woman" in Spanish. This is her stagename.

Her Story

Tokitae was likely born in the year 1964 as a member of the Southern Resident community of L pod. She was captured on August 8, 1970, from the waters of Penn Cove off the coast of Washington, USA. Out of a group of 80 orcas, seven were selected for sale. She was sold to the Miami Seaquarium in Florida on September 14, 1970. There she joined a male named Hugo* who had been at the Seaquarium for two years. He had just been moved into a new pool that was slightly more spacious than his previous holdings. The two were kept apart, but trainers noticed that the two would "call" to one another from their separate pools. Hugo even broke a window, a possible attempt to find the new arrival. The trainers then had the idea to unite Hugo and his "beloved Lolita". The stagename has stuck with her ever since.

In June 1972, Tokitae and Hugo were put together. The two were celebrities at the Seaquarium and officials hoped that the two would mate. Instead, the two were rather aggressive. Both would lunge at their trainers onstage. Eventually Tokitae took over Hugo's act while he was held in a back pool. On March 4, 1980, Hugo passed away. The Seaquarium never acquired another orca. By 1986, Tokitae was the last survivor in captivity from the Southern Resident community.

Since about 1980, the Miami Seaquarium has been promising to build a much larger pool for Tokitae. Her current living space is only 18 feet at the deepest. Each time a new pool is promised, something gets in the way to prevent it from happening. Because of this situation, Tokitae is the focus of protests as many anti-captivity groups want her released back into the wild. The Seaquarium has refused to let her go.

Transfers

August 8, 1970 - September 14, 1970 (Penn Cove, WA USA)
September 14, 1970 - Present (Miami Seaquarium, USA)

Identification Guide



Known Family Members

Mother: L25/Ocean Sun?
Half-sisters: L23/Tsunami*?
Nieces: L49*? (sex is not known)
Nephews: L14/Cordy*? and L49*? (sex is not known)
Possible relatives: Lil Nooka*, Winston*, Jumbo*, Chappy*, Clovis*, and Ramu IV*

* = Deceased