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Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

Southern Resident whales

The new owner of the Miami Seaquarium in the US has announced that it is exploring plans to release captive orca Tokitae, also known as Lolita, back into a sea sanctuary in her home waters of the Pacific Northwest. Tokitae has been held captive in a tank for over 50 years and kept alone for…

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Narnia the orca dies at Russian dolphinarium

Narnia the orca performs in Russia © Oxana Fedorova Narnia, a wild orca taken from the sea and held at the Moskvarium facility in Moscow has died. In a statement issued by the dolphinarium, officials say she died unexpectedly, showing no prior signs of illness. Narnia was thought to be around 17 years old and…

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Large number of dolphins moved to Abu Dhabi marine park

Up to 24 captive bottlenose dolphins have reportedly been sent to a new SeaWorld theme park in Abu Dhabi. The marine park is due to open in 2023 and the dolphins, who were moved from a number of SeaWorld locations in the US, including San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando, now face further confinement in…

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Las Vegas dolphin facility to close

Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat in Las Vegas is to permanently close. The facility is part of The Mirage complex and has been open for more than three decades but, following the property’s sale to Hard Rock International, the decision has been made to permanently close the garden and habitat. While it…

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Third orca death in 18 months at theme park

Loro Parque tourist attraction in Tenerife, Spain has announced the death of Kohana, a 20-year-old orca transferred to the facility from SeaWorld in the US in 2006. Kohana is the third orca who has died at the facility within 18 months after Skyla (17 years old) died in March 2021, and Ula (three years old),…

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Sweden’s last dolphin shows to end

Sweden will become dolphinaria-free following the announcement by Kolmården Zoo in Stockholm that it will be closing its dolphin facility, which currently holds twelve bottlenose dolphins. The Zoo says it wants to focus on the conservation of endangered species and end its 50-year-old era of keeping dolphins. The dolphinarium will remain in operation until the…

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Alarming report raises worries for marine mammals held at the Miami Seaquarium

Leonardo Da Silva/Flickr A disturbing report on the conditions at the Miami Seaquarium from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), released along with an extensive interview from one of the facility’s former veterinarians, highlights the horrendous and dangerous treatment of marine mammals, including the endangered Southern Resident orca Tokitae (also called Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, or Lolita).…

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