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Conference – “Toki: Present and Future” Day of Listening, December 13th

Posted December 1, 2022 in News by Whale Sanctuary Project

The following is a press release from Friends of Tokitae (formerly Friends of Lolita), to announce a Day of Listening conference – “Toki: Present and Future” – at the Intercontinental Hotel in Downtown Miami, Florida.

The conference will convene local leaders, residents, community and national organizations interested in the health of the orca Tokitae (aka “Lolita”), including Miami-Dade County officials and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Friends of Toki was founded in February 2022 by entrepreneur and conservationist Pritam Singh and Charles Vinick, Executive Director of the Whale Sanctuary Project. Its mission is to collaborate with The Miami Seaquarium, The Dolphin Company and Mayor of Miami-Dade County in providing the best care and quality of life for Tokitae, the orca who has been in captivity at the Seaquarium for more than 50 years.

Note re. funding for Tokitae: While several members of the Whale Sanctuary Project are participating in Tokitae’s care, funding for this work, including for staff time, is covered fully and exclusively by Friends of Toki’s co-founder Pritam Singh. The Whale Sanctuary Project is neither raising nor accepting funds for this work.


Friends of Toki to Host a Conference in Downtown Miami about the Status of Tokitae, the Orca living at Miami Seaquarium

Media contact: Charles Vinick, charles@friendsoftoki.org

MIAMI, FL – On Tuesday, December 13th, Friends of Toki (formerly known as “Friends of Lolita”) will host the “Toki: Present and Future” Day of Listening conference, at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Miami. The conference will convene local leaders, residents, community and national organizations interested in the health of the orca Tokitae (aka “Lolita”), including Miami-Dade County officials and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to report on all that has been done for Toki in the last eight months by Friends of Toki and so many others, all in collaboration with The Dolphin Company; we must begin to openly talk, and listen to one another, about her future,” said Pritam Singh, founder of Friends of Toki. “For years, people who have been concerned about her future have been communicating on social media and in small groups. It is time to have these conversations more widely so that we can all understand the issues and explore the possibilities.”

Under the leadership of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade County successfully oversaw the transfer of ownership of the Miami Seaquarium to The Dolphin Company. Mayor Cava also worked with both Friends of Toki and The Dolphin Company to allow an independent veterinary exam to assess the orca’s health.

“The partnership between The Dolphin Company and the Friends of Toki has led to additional veterinary care for Tokitae (“Lolita”) and marked a new era of transparency at the Miami Seaquarium,” said Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor of Miami-Dade County. “This conference will generate both good will and good ideas, cementing trust through conversation with residents and stakeholders. Together, we’ll continue working to ensure the highest quality care for Toki.”

Since April, Friends of Toki and The Dolphin Company have created an unprecedented collaboration to share their expertise, personnel and resources to care for Tokitae. “Friends of Toki are very grateful to Mr. Eduardo Albor, the CEO of The Dolphin Company, for his remarkable support of all of these efforts,” added Mr. Singh.

“In these last few months, with the financial support of Pritam Singh, Friends of Toki have provided additional veterinary care for Toki, assisted in upgrading her life support systems to improve the water quality in her pool, and created an expanded enrichment plan now being implemented with our experienced staff and her Miami Seaquarium training team,” stated Charles Vinick, co-founder of Friends of Toki. “At the conference, we will present an expansive report on Toki’s health including everything that is being done to provide her with the highest quality of life we can in the circumstances in which she has lived for so many years.”

The entire conference will be livestreamed for the public and there will be a public comment session from 1PM to 3PM where everyone is welcome to come and share their ideas about Toki’s future.

Interested individuals and organizations who would like to attend the conference are invited to contact info@friendsoftoki.

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