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A beluga whale and dolphin that died within weeks of being transferred out of Marineland had been experiencing a list of health complications and organ abnormalities that could’ve developed prior to the transfer, Oceanogràfic València said in a news release on Oct. 14.
The Spanish aquarium said the abnormalities “may have developed before the animals arrived in Valencia” and may have not been apparent in health assessments before its transfer.
Beluga Jelly Bean and dolphin Echo arrived, along with three other dolphins and beluga whale Cleopatra, to the aquarium in Valencia, Spain, on Aug. 27, but died just under a month after the move. Meanwhile, four other Marineland whales — Peekachu, Rain, Osiris and Caspian — have died since the rescue at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, along with another beluga that did not come from Marineland.
The necropsy was performed by Oceanogràfic València, which shared an English translation of a news release with their preliminary findings with CBC News.
Per the preliminary findings, Jelly Bean developed “a complex clinical condition,” showing signs of metabolic disorder and electrolyte imbalance in the days before her death.
Abnormalities were found in Jelly Bean’s heart, as well as an enlarged thyroid gland and shrunken adrenal glands, all organs responsible for regulating metabolism, according to the post-mortem findings.
During her final days, the aquarium said she’d been exhibiting unusual behaviour, ingesting water which “further complicated her condition.” They said the 19-year-old beluga whale had experienced “feeding difficulties” upon arrival, but she’d been showing signs of improvement.
She died on Sept. 18.
CBC News reached out to Marineland for comment on the necropsy’s preliminary findings, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Dolphin needed ‘continuous veterinary care’
Echo, a 30-year-old Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, was fifth among the six animals that died in the first month since the transfer.
According to Oceanogràfic València’s news release, she arrived with a “severe vision impairment and limited mobility in one of her flippers.” And in the days leading up to her death, they say Echo was showing neurological and respiratory symptoms, which required “continuous veterinary care.”
They say she had “inflammation in the brain and nervous tissue, consistent with toxoplasmosis.”
The Spanish aquarium says it has specialists investigating “the responsible infectious agent” and that direct transmission between dolphins of the parasitic disease does not happen.
Investigation ongoing
Oceanogràfic València says it will continue to investigate the deaths of Jelly Bean and Echo.
The aquarium is working with pathologists specialists from CEU Cardenal Herrera University and Valencia’s Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, and veterinary medicine research groups.
“This was a rescue mission, aimed at giving the remaining belugas the best chance at a safe, healthy life based on individual health assessments, with an understanding of the risks involved,” a spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada told CBC News in an email Wednesday.
“Some of these whales carried long-term health issues from their time at Marineland, and those often don’t show until it’s too late,” the spokesperson said. “We remain thankful to the experienced professionals involved in this operation, including the team in Spain who cared for Jelly Bean.”
Marine mammal scientist expects more deaths
Animal Welfare Institute marine mammal scientist Naomi Rose acknowledges the feat to rescue the captive animals, but she finds it disingenuous for the aquariums to claim that the animals’ pre-existing conditions were not “clinically apparent.”
“We all knew the whales at Marineland were sick,” Rose told CBC News on Wednesday.
Marineland transported 34 of its remaining belugas and dolphins to aquariums in the U.S. and Spain over the summer to spare them from euthanasia. But four belugas and one dolphin have since died in their new homes. On Friday, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium released post-mortem details around the deaths of two belugas, indicating the whales were already sick with ‘significant gastrointestinal disease.’ Necropsy results are still being processed for the other dead animals. CBC News reached out to Marineland for comment but didn’t hear back at the time of publication.
CBC’s Puneet Nijjar explains how the animals got to this point and what scientists suggest could have led to their early deaths.
She said the stress of transport can linger for up to a year and potentially cause an extreme reaction like death.
“We could be seeing deaths for the next months. This isn’t over.”
Oceanogràfic València says its veterinary and animal care staff will closely monitor the remaining beluga whale Cleopatra and three other dolphins, who are “progressing well.”
Beluga whales Balor and Zephyr, relocated to Georgia Aquarium, are “integrating well” with other whales and “adjusting to their new habitat,” according to an aquarium Instagram post last month. But the Atlanta-based aquarium did note Zephyr’s decreased appetite sand said Balor “has not gained weight as steadily as expected.”
SeaWorld told CBC News on Sept. 17 that the 16 other beluga whales they took — 13 of which have been relocated to the San Antonio, Texas, and three to San Diego — “continue to be in stable health.”
