Miami Seaquarium’s resident orca, Lolita, may be one step closer to winning her freedom. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today it has ruled to include her in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing of southern resident killer whales.
This ruling means Lolita is now granted the same protection as the rest of her family, which lives in the waters off Washington state’s San Juan Islands (where Lolita was captured 44 years ago). According to PETA, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), Orca Network, and others, the decision is a direct result of their collective petitioning of the agency on Lolita’s behalf.