MIAMI -- The Miami Seaquarium says it would be "reckless and cruel" to follow the Lummi Nation's calls to release Lolita, a killer whale that was captured in the Puget Sound 47 years ago.
Aquarium officials say releasing Lolita would expose her to a "wide variety of health threats," and agreed with those who argued the move would be "catastrophic."
The Lummi Nation has argued for the release of Lolita, since she was captured as a calf in the 1970s at Penn Cove near Coupeville. The whale has been a main attraction at Miami's Seaquarium for decades.
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Lummi Nation trying to free Puget Sound orca from Miami Seaquarium
Lummi Nation trying to free Puget Sound orca from Miami Seaquarium
Lolita, or Tokitae as she is called by the Lummi Nation, is the only surviving member of the infamous Penn Cove roundup.
Read the Seaaquarium's full release below:
READ: Lummi Tribe works to free Lolita>>>