[VIRAL] Video of World's Loneliest Orca Swimming in Depressing Pattern Saddens Viewers

The video of the world's loneliest orca, Lolita, is going viral on TikTok, Reddit, and other online platforms.

[VIRAL] Video of World's Loneliest Orca Saddens Viewers as Lolita Swims in Depressing Pattern

(Photo: OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)
A female orca catches a herring as it swims in the Reisafjorden fjord region, near the Norwegian northern city of Tromso in the Arctic Circle, on January 13, 2019.

Lolita was captured back in 1970. Many videos showing her life inside a giant aquarium have already appeared numerous times.

However, the new video broke the hearts of many since Lolita was seen swimming in very depressing patterns.

Aside from Lolita, a white-sided dolphin named "Li'i," which was captured in 1988, was also seen inside the same water cage.

Video of World's Loneliest Orca Saddens Viewers

According to The Sun's latest report, the new video of Lolita was posted by Reddit user u/dannybluey.

(Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Toa the orca swims around a makeshift enclosure at Plimmerton Boating Club on July 14, 2021, in Wellington, New Zealand. The stranded male orca calf was found caught in the rocks near Plimmerton, north of Wellington, on Sunday, 11 July. People from the Department of Conservation (DOC) and volunteers from the Orca Research Trust have been taking shifts to care for the calf since it separated from its pod, as the search for the killer whale's pod continues.

He said that the footage was captured on May 26. "This video was taken above the Miami Seaquarium on May 26th, 2023. Lolita the orca and Li'i the Pacific white-sided dolphin can be seen repeating the same swimming and logging patterns," said the Reddit user.

dannybluey's post already generated over 40,000 upvotes and 2,000 comments.

Many users were saddened and angered after seeing the latest footage of Lolita and Li'i.
In the video, you can see that Lolita is swimming in a very depressing pattern; wiggling her body in just one area of the water cage.

Meanwhile, Li'i kept on swimming in circles. The dolphin also repeats this swimming pattern on just one side of the pool.

Another upsetting thing shown by the video is that the water cage looks very dirty; the water is already green and the bottom seems to be covered by moss.

Orcas are Meant To Live in Groups

NOAA explained that killer whales (aka orcas) are highly-social mammals. This means that these whales are supposed to be living in groups; with pods commonly consisting of over 20 orcas each.

Since Lolita has been living in captivity for around 53 years, having no other orcas around really puts stress on the animal.

Thankfully, Seaquarium confirmed that Lolita will be released on the waters of the Pacific Northwest.

As of writing, Seaquarium hasn't confirmed if it will also let go of Li'i. If you want to learn more about the water amusement park's decision, you can visit this link.