COUPEVILLE, Wash. — The Orca Network put on an event Sunday to remember the orcas captured in Washington state in the 1960s and 1970s.
The ceremony was part of the Penn Cove Orca Capture Commemoration Cruise, which was held in person for the first time since 2019.
Sunday's event highlighted the story of Tokitae, the last Southern Resident orca living in captivity who was taken from Penn Cove more than 50 years ago, currently living at the Miami Seaquarium.
Plans to move Tokitae back to western Washington from Florida are moving forward. Right now, trainers are helping her adjust to a sling that will move her from her tank into a container filled with ice water. From there Tokitae would be placed in a cargo plane for a six-hour flight to Bellingham International Airport.
Next, Tokitae would be loaded onto a barge to transport her to ancestral waters in the Salish Sea.
The group "Friends of Toki" aim to set her up with a protected pen in the Salish Sea. She’ll receive round-the-clock medical care, security and feedings. She’s expected to live in that sea pen for the rest of her life.
The Lummi Nation, activists and animal welfare advocates have been fighting for years to bring Tokitae back to the Salish Sea.
Friends of Toki said both the federal regulatory and Washington state permitting process related to the move is underway. If approved, those helping fund the move say she could be home by the end of 2023, but only if she remains in good health.
Watch: Tokitae's Journey