An orca whale taken from Puget Sound in the 1970s and has been at the Miami Seaquarium ever since could be back in Washington waters as soon as this fall.
Tokitae was captured from the L pod of the Salish Sea’s Southern Resident orcas.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay talked about the whale’s move on the Pat McAfee Show Monday.
Irsay said that for six months, he’s been working to move the former show whale from Miami back to the Northwest.
He’s spending tens of millions of dollars to buy a fenced-off space in the water and reintroduce her to new animals.
“We were just out in Washington, it’s a 15-acre fenced-in area where she’ll start, it can be reduced to one acre, and she’ll have two dolphin friends,” Irsay said.
He said it’s important to remember that Tokitae is not being released back into the wild after decades in captivity.
Irsay is also paying to bring the orca’s trainers and caretakers to Washington to help with the transition.
He said he hopes the move will happen before Thanksgiving.
Tokitae is known as “Lolita” at the Miami Seaquarium.