Tokitae, the oldest orca in captivity, has path to freedom after 50 years

More than five decades after being captured in the waters off the Pacific north-west, Tokitae the orca has a plan to return home, delivering a victory to animal rights advocates and Indigenous leaders who have long fought for her release.

Tokitae is the oldest killer whale in captivity. Now in retirement, she spent decades performing at the Miami Seaquarium, where she went by the name Lolita. She lived in the smallest orca enclosure in North America, in a pool of water that made her skin infected and was fed fish that was occasionally rotten and led to intestinal issues.

Federal agencies will have to sign off on any plans to transport the whale. And of course, the stress of travel and a new, wild environment might be dangerous for an elderly whale.