Ken Balcomb, of the Center for Whale Research and Howard Garrett of the Orca Network have devised a plan to retire Lolita to her home waters of Washington state.  Lolita is not going to be completely “set free in the wild” after being in captivity for so long.  The plan is centered around placing Lolita in a transitional coastal sanctuary sea pen where she will be rehabilitated under human care.  When the time is right, she will be given the choice of going back to open waters if she so desires.  All the time she will be monitored by veterinary staff, to make sure she is receiving the best health care.

Lolita will be transported by air to Kanaka Bay, a cove on San Juan Island, off of Washington State.  She will continue to be  fed by humans and given time to get used to her new home.  Then the process of rehabilitation will take place.  Lolita will be taught how to eat live fish and to follow a boat, which will be used to take her out of the sea pen for “walks” to get her used to the open ocean.  The walks will get longer and longer, all the time gauging the progress of the rehab as to how well Lolita is doing.

Once rehabilitated, an effort would be made to reintroduce Lolita to her natural family (pod).  Researchers know exactly who Lolita’s family are and where they travel.  Experts have confirmed that Lolita’s natural mother (L25), “Ocean Sun”, is still alive in the Puget Sound.   This is what makes the Lolita plan so strong, Lolita’s natural family are alive and well, so she has someone to return home too.

If for any reason, Lolita is not ready to be released into the open water, she can stay in the bay, receive human care for the rest of her life, and have the real ocean to swim in.  All of this in an area hundreds of times larger than her 35 foot wide tank where she currently resides in Miami.  She would not suffer any echolocation stress due to living in a concrete tank, would not have to perform tricks, or have to be around loud noises of crowds and music that are present during her shows or swim in circles.

Examiner article explaining the plan details

View the official Orca Network Plan Proposal for Lolita