Elelo the Pacific White-Sided Dolphin (2018-2024)
Obituary
Elelo, a six-year-old Pacific white-sided dolphin, died on October 2 at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL after spending his entire life in captivity.
Elelo was born into captivity on June 30, 2018 to mother Loke at the Miami Seaquarium in Miami, Florida. For the first five years of his life, he only lived with his mother and Tokitae, an orca who died in 2023. During his time at Miami Seaquarium, he had undergone treatment for a foreign body ingestion and faced continued risk despite calls for him to be transferred to another facility.
Following Tokitae’s death in August 2023, Elelo and his mother Loke were transferred to the Shedd Aquarium. Unfortunately, just a year later, Elelo died on October 2, 2024. Per a necropsy, Elelo had experienced an “accidental impact” that led to an injury and subsequent death. A month later, in November 2024, his mother also passed away.
If you are interested in protecting dolphins and other marine mammals, we encourage you to avoid aquariums and other captive animal venues. Instead, visit and support wildlife heritage areas such as the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area.
You can also take action for dolphins like Elelo by helping us shut down Miami Seaquarium, which continues to operate despite its eviction from Miami-Dade County.
