Miami Seaquarium is returning Lolita the killer whale to her home waters

The oldest killer whale in captivity may soon be returned to her home waters in the Pacific Northwest, more than 50 years after her capture.

Lolita, a 56-year-old orca, was the star attraction at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida for decades.

Animal welfare activists have spent years lobbying for her release.

On Thursday, the aquarium announced it will begin the process of returning the orca to her natural habitat in the next two years.

The Miami Seaquarium is partnering with the non-profit Friends of Lolita to send the whale back across the country.

Footing the bill for Lolita's relocation will be Jim Irsay, owner of NFL football team the Indianapolis Colts.

"I'm excited about being part of Lolita's journey," Mr Irsay said. "She is one tough creature. It's amazing. Ever since I was a little kid, I loved whales."

Lolita, also known by her original name Tokitae or Toki, is a female southern resident killer whale. These orcas live exclusively in the North Pacific Ocean and spend several months of the year in Washington State's Puget Sound, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This special population of orcas were deemed an endangered species in 2005, due in part to captivity programmes that hunted the animals throughout the 1970s, when Lolita was captured.

In the more than 50 years since then, she has been living in an 80ft by 35ft (26m by 11m) tank at the Seaquarium, a space critics say is dangerously small for an animal that is roughly 20ft (6m) long.

One critic of the tank's size was the daughter of Eduardo Albor, CEO of The Dolphin Company. Mr Albor visited the theme park with her shortly before acquiring the Miami Seaquarium in 2021.

"She told me, if we ever take management of this place, you promise me you will see how to improve this," he said.

The next year, the Seaquarium announced Lolita's retirement from the stage after 52 years of performing. Mr Albor praised animal rights activists and the Seaquarium team for putting aside differences and working together.

"We have the same goal and now the world will see, amazing things are possible when we listen and work together," he said.