Miami Seaquarium
Southern killer whale | |
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| Date opened | September 24, 1955 [1] |
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| Location | Virginia Key, Miami, Florida, US |
| Coordinates | 25°43′59″N 80°09′56″W / 25.733°N 80.165525°WCoordinates: 25°43′59″N 80°09′56″W / 25.733°N 80.165525°W |
| Land area | 38 acres (15 ha) |
| Annual visitors | 500,000 |
| Memberships | Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums AMMPA |
| Owner | The Dolphin Company[2] |
| Website | miamiseaquarium |
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The Miami Seaquarium is a 38-acre (15 ha) oceanarium located on the island of Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade County, Florida located near downtown Miami.
Founded in 1955, it is one of the oldest oceanariums in the United States. In addition to marine mammals, the Miami Seaquarium houses fish, sharks, sea turtles, birds, reptiles, and manatees. The park offers daily presentations and hosts overnight camps, events for boy scouts, and group programs. Over 500,000 people visit the facility annually. The park has around 225 employees, and its lease payments and taxes make it the third-largest contributor to Miami-Dade County's revenue.[1]
History
The park was founded by Fred D. Coppock and Captain W.B. Gray and was the second marine-life attraction in Florida. When it opened in 1955, it was the largest marine-life attraction in the world.[1]
The park's first orca was Hugo, named after Hugo Vihlen.[3] Hugo was captured in February 1968 in Vaughn Bay. Shortly after his capture, Hugo was flown to the Miami Seaquarium where he was held in a small pool for two years. Over the course of 10 years, judging by his behavior, it was clear that Hugo didn't adjust to his life in captivity. Hugo would regularly bang his head against the walls of the tank. On March 4, 1980, Hugo died of a brain aneurysm.[4]
From 1963 through 1967, eighty-eight episodes of the 1960s TV show Flipper and two movies starring Flipper were filmed at the Miami Seaquarium. From 1963 to 1991, the Seaquarium also had the Miami Seaquarium Spacerail, which was the first hanging monorail in the United States.
In 2014 Miami Seaquarium was bought by Palace Entertainment.[5][6]
In 2022, the Miami Seaquarium was acquired by The Dolphin Company, which currently owns and operates the park.[7][8]
Lolita the Orca
One of the Miami Seaquarium's attractions is Lolita, the second oldest
On January 24, 2014 the
The
The Miami Seaquarium announced on March 30, 2023, that Lolita is expected to be returned to her natal waters in the Pacific Northwest and reside in a semi-wild sea-pen in the Salish Sea for the remainder of her life.[15][16] She will be joined in the relocation efforts by the a pair of pacific white-sided dolphin companions, Li'i and Loki.[17][18]
Gallery
Lolita, the Killer Whale.
The Top Deck dolphin show at the Miami Seaquarium.
Dolphin named Bebe at the Seaquarium in 1969.
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c "About Us: History". Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- ^ "Miami Seaquarium Being Sold". August 18, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Miami Seaquarium - About Miami Seaquarium". Miami Seaquarium. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "One Dolphin's Story – Hugo". Dolphin Project. August 3, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "Miami Seaquarium deal is done". The Real Deal. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ "List of parks". Palace Entertainment. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ Ojo, Joseph (March 23, 2023). "Miami-Dade County announces Lolita the Orca will be examined by third party vets". cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ Diaz, Johnny (March 30, 2023). "Lolita the Orca May Swim Free After Decades at Miami Seaquarium". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ "Livid Over Lolita's Continued Captivity, Celebrities Call for Boycott of Miami Seaquarium". Miami New Times. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ^ "USDA Officials Say Lolita's Tank at Miami Seaquarium Might Violate Federal Law". Miami New Times. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ^ S2CID 238820693.
- ^ Mapes, Lynda (2018). "Lummi prayers, songs, at Seaquarium just start of effort to free captive whale". Seattle Times.
- ^ Priest, Rena (2020). "A captive orca and a chance for our redemption". High Country News.
- ^ Rose, Robert (2018). "Lolita Update From Our Curator Emeritus, Robert Rose". Facebook.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Bartick, Alex (March 30, 2023). "Captured Southern Resident orca Lolita to return to Puget Sound after more than 50 years". komonews.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Diaz, Johnny (March 30, 2023). "Lolita the Orca May Swim Free After Decades at Miami Seaquarium". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ Harris, Alex (March 30, 2023). "Lolita may finally go free. 'Historic' deal clears way to move killer whale from Miami". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Aguirre, Louis (March 30, 2023). "Miami Seaquarium announces plan to return orca Lolita to 'home waters'". cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
External links
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