Beloved Orca Lolita Dies in Captivity Before Planned Release Back to Home Waters

Lolita the orca whale died at the Miami Seaquarium at the estimated age of 57 after over 50 years in captivity.
She had shown signs of discomfort in recent days and received medical care before her death from an apparent kidney condition.
There were plans backed by activists and an indigenous tribe to move Lolita to a sea pen in her native Pacific Northwest waters.
Lolita was captured from her pod in the Puget Sound in 1970 when she was young and had lived alone in captivity since 1980.
Her death came before she could be transported and freed into the ocean habitat where she was born.