Lolita, the famous orca, has now been placed on the endangered species list by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For over four decades, the endangered killer whale has been in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium.
NOAA's announcement to include Lolita the orca in the endangered species list Wednesday could also paved the way for the whale's possible freedom into the wild. According to The Daily Mail, Lolita has spent almost her entire life in one of the world's smallest whale enclosures performing attraction at the Florida facility.
"Captive animals such as Lolita cannot be assigned separate legal status from their wild counterparts," NOAA said and added the change would take effect in 90 days.
The inclusion of Lolita the orca in the endangered species list was celebrated by animal rights activists. The Huffington Post revealed the group called the listing a "victory" and said the decision has opened the way for them to dispute the whale's living conditions, which violated the federal endangered-species law provisions.
In 1940, Lolita was caught in Puget Sound when she was believed to be 4 to 6-years old. Since then, she has been on display as one of the main attractions of Miami Seaquarium. The National Geographic reported NOAA has verified that the whale originated from the population known as the Southern Resident Killer Whales. In 2005, the Puget Sound orcas were classified as endangered species, but it excluded captive animals.
Animal rights activists said the newly-announced endangered whale, Lolita the orca, belongs to the wild. And though they want her to be released into a protected marine pen, the Miami Seaquarium said it has no plans to move the whale as a result of the ruling.
"Just because [Lolita the orca] was listed as part of the Endangered Species Act does not mean that she is going anywhere," Miami Seaquarium general manager Andre Hertz stated. "Lolita is healthy and thriving in her home where she shares her habitat with Pacific white-sided dolphins. There is no scientific evidence that Lolita could survive in a sea pen or the open waters of the Pacific Northwest and we are not willing to treat her life as an experiment."
NOAA has also stated Lolita the orca's inclusion in the endangered species list does not necessarily mean she will be freed anytime soon, CBS News reported. The agency also warned that releasing a captive whale into the wild could raise major concerns.
"Releasing a whale which has spent most of its life in captivity raises many concerns that would need to be carefully addressed," the agency said. "These concerns include disease transmission, the ability of released animals to adequately find food, difficulty in social integration, and that behavioral patterns developed in captivity could impact wild animals. Previous attempts to release captive killer whales and dolphins have often been unsuccessful, and some have ended tragically with the death of the released animal."
Meanwhile, Miami Seaquarium curator Robert Rose said he anticipated Lolita the orca will be included in the endangered group but stressed she won't be release soon.
"Regardless of what happens with the listing, she's not going to be released," Rose said as quoted by The Seattle Times. "We're not going to sell her. We're not going to release her. Period. End of story."
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