LANGLEY, Wash. — Orca Network’s Langley Whale Center is opening a new interactive exhibit to pay tribute to Tokitae – a whale from the Southern Resident orca population who was captured in Penn Cove in August of 1970 and survived in captivity for 53 years before she died in 2023.
“Toki’s Legacy” will open on August 30 at 11:00 a.m. and admission is free.
The exhibit was made possible by a grant from the Washington Maritime Heritage Foundation.
It allows visitors to explore all aspects of Tokitae’s family, life, and home waters, in addition to artifacts from the Penn Cove capture.
“Toki’s story is worth telling by itself, because she had such a remarkable spirit and ability to draw together people from all walks of life to work toward her release, throughout her lifetime,” said Orca Network Co-Founder and President Howard Garrett. “But what makes this exhibit really special is how it tells the bigger picture of her story, from the relationship of Salish people to the Southern Resident orcas, to Toki’s L-pod family members who still make their home in Pacific Northwest waters, to the salmon and ecosystem that tie us all together.”
Another element of the exhibit was commissioned on the Washington State ferry Tokitae, named after the whale. It’s a mural of Tokitae by artist Kaarina Makowski. It’s located in the passenger cabin of the vessel along with educational panels about Tokitae, her family, and the impact of the orca captures in Puget Sound in the 1960s-70s.
Nearly one-third of the Southern Resident orca population was taken to marine parks and aquariums during what is known as the “Capture Era.” It resulted in a loss of genetic diversity, which is one of the many challenges faced by the Southern Residents.
For more information about the exhibit, please visit www.orcanetwork.org.