Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s efforts to rescue an orca whale from the Miami Seaquarium have coming up tragically short.
According to WTHR, Tokitae – also known as Toki and Lolita – passed away on Friday. Miami Seaquarium announced that Tokitae died due to renal failure following signs of distress over the past few days. She was approximately 57 years old.
Tokitae was a performer at the Seaquarium for 52 years and was the second-oldest orca in captivity in the United States. Health issues have plagued the orca in recent years, and Irsay became one of the leading figures in efforts to having Tokitae moved to an ocean sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest.
To that end, Irsay had pledged as much as $20 million to help get Tokitae moved back to her pod in an area off the Puget sound in Washington.
Sad update: The whale that #Colts owner Jim Irsay planned on spending $20 million to save, Tokitae, died on Friday afternoon in captivity, per @WTHRcom
The Miami Seaquarium said she died from a potential renal condition.
There were plans to transport the whale across the… https://t.co/LZHpYFya2o
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 19, 2023
Many who follow Jim Irsay purely for the NFL side of things have admonished the Colts owner for giving so much money to help a whale rather than give a contract extension to running back Jonathan Taylor.
As a result, Irsay’s efforts to get Tokitae freed have become a lot more visible in recent days.
Our hearts go out to Tokitae. Rest in peace.