Miami Seaquarium acknowledges killer whale Lolita has been ill

UPDATE: The Miami Seaquarium held a Facebook Live chat Tuesday in which an orca trainer spoke about her health and well-being. Lolita did vocalizations, but stayed in background. Click here to see it.

INITIAL STORY: Miami Seaquarium on Monday acknowledged that its famed, iconic killer whale Lolita has been ill.

The revelation followed a report on Sunday by PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, that cited unidentified sources saying Lolita was "suffering from pneumonia." PETA's report follows months of concerns and alerts from advocates about the orca, who has been in captivity at the Miami marine park since 1970.

The Seaquarium's statement late Monday afternoon, attributed to Dr. Shelby Loos, the park's attending veterinarian, was vague about why the orca, said to be nearing 60 years of age, "began to feel under the weather."

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The statement by Loos only said that during a "routine" check, the park's veterinary teams "noticed some abnormalities on her bloodwork, which prompted treatment" as the orca displayed signs of illness. The statement said Lolita, known in her home waters of the Pacific Northwest as Tokitae, "has been steadily improving and feeling much better."

That was little consolation to advocates and others who have clamored for the whale's release and repatriation to her home waters.

The Seaquarium's statement also spoke to the care Tokitae is receiving. In addition to "a dedicated, loving team of veterinarians and caregivers," Loos said she works "closely with Dr. Tom Reidarson on all aspects of her care." She added they also "consult with several other expert veterinarians including Dr. Michael Renner, who has worked with" Lolita for years.

"I have the utmost confidence in the teams assembled to care for Toki and all our animals," Loos said in the statement. "Toki’s unprecedented longevity speaks to the quality care she has received over the years."

That was a response to PETA's statement Sunday in which the group said it feared the orca was "not receiving adequate care." PETA said Loos "reportedly possessed no orca experience when she was hired in 2019." PETA added that Loos, who it said left the park in 2020, "was rehired last year after the Seaquarium fired its longtime head veterinarian after she expressed concern about the extent of animal suffering at the park."

In fact, the ousted veterinarian, Magdalena Rodriguez, made serious allegations of improper care and said Lolita had suffered injuries to her eye and her jaw, the latter likely a result of fast swims and head-first dives — tricks Rodriguez said the whale was too old to perform. Abnormal blood tests showed Lolita's overall health and nutrition was poor and she suffered from inflammation, according to Rodriguez's findings.

Rodriguez also said Lolita's diet had been cut from 160 to 130 pounds of fish daily, causing her to lose body mass and putting her at risk for dehydration, since marine mammals get their needed fresh water from eating fish, while the marine park also wanted to reduce the salmon portion of her diet and supplement it with "guts and chunks."

In response, Seaquarium General Manager Bill Lentz issued a statement said the park's veterinarians and animal care specialists are "fully dedicated to delivering the best care to all of our animals, and we stand by the quality of care they receive.

Lentz's statement added the Seaquarium was making a series of "enhancements" and "the additional areas identified by the USDA have been added to this list of improvements."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Seaquarium acknowledges killer whale Lolita has been ill