Not a person or a book: Lolita is a killer whale

You all must have heard about 'Lolita' the book and the movie; but not many know about the killer whale. She is kept captive in a sea aquarium in Miami. Lolita is 20 feet long and weighs 7000 pounds. Here's what you need to know about her.

Which Lolita are we talking about? The book or a person or...?

A killer whale.


A killer whale named Lolita?

Yup. Only this one remains in captivity.

It is mostly harmless then?

Yes. See, this killer whale has been in a sea-aquarium in Miami for almost 48 years. She was captured in the wild when she was only four years old. For the last 25 years, people have been trying to set her free.

Captured as a baby of 4? Will releasing her in the sea be a good idea at all?

There are arguments on both sides. For instance, the pool she stays in is rather small. But others argue that it may not be safe to release her either.

She is alone in the tank?

There are a few dolphins. She used to have a killer-whale tank mate called Hugo. But he apparently committed suicide by banging his head on a wall repeatedly. Lolita has also been seen repeatedly bobbing her head in and out of water.

Ouch!

A court case to release her was dismissed last week. The court ruled that at 51, Lolita is already past the life expectancy of killer whales and may be attacked if released in the wild.

No hope of a release then?

May be not! But you never know. Almost every week end there is a protest demanding her release. A woman had once lived a month inside a bath tub to demonstrate Lolita’s condition – right in front of the Miami Sea Aqauarium.