WASHINGTON, USA — The effort to bring Tokitae home to the Puget Sound region has swelled into a massive endeavor, bringing billionaires and animal advocates together after decades of her living in captivity in south Florida.
However, getting Toki home is only part of the complex challenges facing those pushing to transport her back to Washington state. Ensuring Toki is protected from tourism and potential predators is an important aspect of this operation.
The current plan, once she is flown over from Miami, is to construct a sea pen somewhere near the San Juan Islands, where Toki originally hails from.
Raynell Morris with the Lummi Nation says they've been discussing safety plans around Toki for several years. In addition to the net of the pen, Morris says there will be a setup in place to keep boats from getting too close.
There also will be a paid security team to monitor the area.
"We have an initial team identified that would be part of the operational team for the sea sanctuary and that includes monitoring and being with her 24-7, 365 days. whichever location it is, we know that is a constant," Morris said.
All the specifics of the plans remain private, but Morris emphasizes the safety of Toki is the top priority.
Howard Garrett with the Orca Network says these privacy measures are necessary.
"She will be under a very tight security force that will have a you know, make a bubble around her like Secret Service, you know, to make sure that she is not disturbed in any way and that'll frustrate me and everybody else who wants to get closer, but I'm afraid that's in her best interest," Garrett said.