After 35 years under the care of the Miami Seaquarium, Li'i, the Pacific white sided dolphin who once shared a tank with the orca Lolita, has found a new home, the company said.
Li’i's home had been up in the air following Lolita's death, but the Miami Seaquarium said that on Sunday the dolphin had been successfully transferred to SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas to a 2.5 million-gallon cold water habitat with other dolphins of his same species.
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WATCH HERE"Although we will very much miss him, we feel happy to know this is the best for him," the company said in the post. "Thank you to all the team from Miami Seaquarium and The Dolphin Company for making this possible and thank you to all the people who always expressed their interest in Li’i’s welfare, just as we did."
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According to the company, veterinarians and trainers from both Miami Seaquarium and SeaWorld carried out the moving process according to international procedures.
A trainer from Miami Seaquarium is accompanying Li’i in the adaptation process and will help SeaWorld’s staff get familiar with Li’i’s needs. He will then join other Pacific white-sided dolphins, some of whom he lived with previously.
"Today we are happy to welcome a new member to our SeaWorld family," said SeaWorld San Antonio in a Facebook post. "SeaWorld San Antonio is one of only two places in the United States to care for his species, and our veterinary team is experienced with caring for older animals like Li’i and can provide a custom care regimen that will be in his best interest."
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While at the Seaquarium, Li'i remained in the same tank he once shared with Lolita before she died last month, but a former veterinarian for the dolphin, trainers and activists said any updated pool would be better than the conditions the dolphin was in.
Dr. Jenna Wallace, Li’i's former veterinarian, told NBC 6 that she worked at Miami Seaquarium for six months back in 2021, but she became disturbed by the poor conditions and left.
“When I was employed at Miami Seaquarium, the diet for Li’i and for Toki were both cut. This led to aggression in the pool and at one point Li’i did almost die,” Wallace recalled.
Wallace was a whistleblower for the federal investigation into Miami Seaquarium and even said places like a SeaWorld location would be a good move for the dolphin.
Former trainers that NBC6 spoke to agreed but added that dolphins are social creators so it’s important that Li’i is with fellow dolphins.
