HEART BROKEN: What killed Lolita? Necropsy findings released for the Seaquarium’s beloved orca
A veterinarian with 20 years of experience working with marine mammals, conducted the necropsy and found Lolita suffered from acute and chronic broncho-interstitial pneumonia and renal degeneration, and a chronic condition of the heart implying the degeneration of the cardiac valves.
ALEX HARRIS: Orca Lolita appears to have died of old age and multiple chronic illnesses, according to the executive summary of her necropsy released Tuesday afternoon to the Miami Herald. Lolita, also known as Tokitae or Toki, died Aug. 18 at the age of 57. Her carcass was swiftly packed in ice and driven to the University of Georgia, where a necropsy was completed on Aug. 19…
Dr. Judy St Leger, a veterinarian with 20 years of experience working with marine mammals, conducted the necropsy. She found Lolita suffered from “acute and chronic broncho-interstitial pneumonia and renal degeneration, and a chronic condition of the heart implying the degeneration of the cardiac valves.” Just a few days prior to her death, Lolita was declared to be in excellent health by the veterinarian overseeing her care and by the CEO of The Dolphin Company…
Two of her former vets at Seaquarium told the Miami Herald on Tuesday that the results only underlined their criticisms about the management of the orca’s health. They said they wanted to review more details beyond the executive summary of the necropsy. Dr. Magdalena Rodriguez was chief veterinarian at Seaquarium for 23 years. Lolita was the major focus of her care. “She was old as of years ago, but what meds were given and why underfeed an old whale with kidney issues? There should be a more detailed necropsy report. More organ specific and more cultures,” she said. “The world knew Toki was old, but what took her over the edge?”
Dr. Jenna Wallace worked with Rodriguez, and both objected when Lolita’s food intake was cut from 160 to 120 pounds in 2021, warning that she would suffer from dehydration. Seaquarium defended the food cut, saying it was in line with the reduced amount of exercise she was getting. The two former vets also cooperated with USDA inspectors who have criticized Seaquarium in past reports for poor water quality, rotten food, mishandling incompatible animals and underfeeding animals as punishment for unsatisfactory performances. Both vets were fired in 2021 and claim they lost their jobs at Seaquarium because they were acting as whistleblowers…
The animal-rights group PETA on Tuesday evening released a statement decrying the orca’s life in what it described as cramped captivity in the face of regulatory neglect. “If the U.S. Department of Agriculture had intervened when PETA first flagged her minuscule tank as an animal welfare violation back in 2012, Lolita may have enjoyed more than a decade in a seaside sanctuary,” the statement read. SOURCE…
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