![]() ![]() With financial backing from Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, they have agreed to support Lolita long term, whether she’s reintroduced or not.įor Raynell Morris, an elder of the Lummi Indian Tribe in Washington and a board member of Friends of Toki, the whale’s return is fundamental. Advocates would likely have to show that introducing another aging whale wouldn’t further burden the population, which has struggled with a dearth of salmon. “Whether or not it becomes the dream of having her reunite with L-pod is something we have to rely on Lolita to show us.”īecause the southern residents are endangered, advocates would have to obtain additional permits if they ever wanted to return Toki fully to the wild. “The first objective is to provide her the highest quality of life we can,” said Charles Vinick, a founder of the nonprofit Friends of Toki as well as executive director of the Whale Sanctuary Project. She would be released into an enclosure the size of a couple football fields within that sanctuary, where she would be under round-the-clock care. Plans call for bringing Lolita to a netted whale sanctuary of about 15 acres (6 hectares). ![]() There are 73 southern residents remaining. The whale believed to be Toki’s mother is the matriarch of L-pod, one of three clans that make up the so-called southern resident killer whales, a genetically and socially distinct population that frequents the Salish Sea between Washington and British Columbia. Whales are intelligent, social creatures, and activists have long dreamed of returning Tokitae to her family. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |