How did Tokitae die? Necropsy findings for beloved whale released

Tokitae, the last surviving Southern Resident killer whale still living in captivity who was also known as Lolita, appears to have died of old age and multiple chronic illnesses, according to a necropsy summary released Tuesday to the Miami Herald.

The whale died at the Miami Seaquarium in August while they were preparing to move her back to the waters of Puget Sound.

In a statement on Facebook at that time, the aquarium reported Tokitae had “exhibited serious signs of discomfort” ahead of her death and that she died of what was “believed to be a renal condition.”

That finding is appears to be backed up by the documents released Tuesday, the Herald explained.

“The results of the analysis performed indicate that the death was due to the progression of multiple chronic conditions some of which derived from age,” the Seaquarium wrote in a press release the Herald secured.

Dr. Judy St. Leger, a veterinarian with 20 years of experience working with marine mammals, found Tokitae suffered from “acute and chronic bronchointerstitial pneumonia and renal degeneration, and a chronic condition of the heart implying the degeneration of the cardiac valves.”

Tokitae returns home

Tokitae was cremated and her ashes arrived in Bellingham last month. The ashes were flown in from Athens, Georgia, after the necropsy was performed at the University of Georgia.

The Lummi Nation, which considers whales family, planned to welcome Tokitae in a private, traditional ceremony.

The group decided to cancel a tribute planned for the end of the September due to what they said was an “overwhelming week of grief.”

KIRO 7 reported the tribe will hold a public memorial for the whale at a later date.

In a statement released the day Tokitae died, Lummi Nation Chairman Tony Hillaire wrote the group was “saddened by the news that our beloved Orca relative has passed away at the estimated age of 57 years old. Our hearts are with all those impacted by this news; our hearts are with her family.”

‘She came home not physically but spiritually’: Tokitae’s death sends powerful message

“We stand in solidarity with our Lummi members whom poured their hearts and souls into bringing Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut home,” Hillaire added. “We will do all we can to start healing from this news and will begin talking about what needs to happen next.”

Previously, the Lummi Nation stressed that the ceremony will be private, but Tokitae will be honored with a public celebration of life, at a later date. The U.S. Coast Guard will be present to ensure there is no interference with the private ceremony.

The events leading up to Tokitae’s death

Just a few days prior to her death, Tokitae was declared to be in excellent health by the veterinarian overseeing her care and by the CEO of The Dolphin Company.

“A week ago, the vets were here. You know, she was doing great. And the staff is completely devastated. Because this just came completely out of the blue,” said Pritam Singh, a Florida Keys developer and founder of Friends for (Tokitae), said. “But we had no idea that this was going to happen and so we’re as surprised as anybody else.”

Animal rights activists had been fighting for years to have Tokitae freed from her Florida tank. The park’s relatively new owner, The Dolphin Company, and the nonprofit Friends of Toki announced a plan earlier this year to possibly move her to a natural sea pen in the Pacific Northwest, with the financial backing of Jim Irsay, the owner of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.

On the move: Dolphin that shared a tank with Tokitae taken to to SeaWorld San Antonio

Tokitae retired from performing last spring as a condition of the Miami Seaquarium’s new exhibitor’s license with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She had not been publicly displayed since. In recent months, new upgrades had been installed to better filter the pool and regulate her water temperature.

Federal and state regulators would have had to approve any plan to move Lolita, and that could have taken months or years. The 5,000-pound orca had been living for years in a tank that measures 80 feet by 35 feet and is 20 feet deep.

Contributing: Heather Bosch, KIRO Newsradio; The Associated Press