Second beluga transferred from Marineland to U.S. aquarium dies, another in intensive care

A veterinary technician with one of Mystic Aquarium's belugas (Mystic Aquarium/Facebook)

An aquarium in Connecticut has announced that a beluga originally transferred from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont. has died.

The aquarium announced the death in a Facebook post on Friday afternoon, stating the “cause of her death will not be known until a full necropsy is completed.”

“Veterinarians and animal care experts at Mystic Aquarium, with the support of veterinarians and animal husbandry members from other aquariums nationwide, devoted the full capacity of their expertise to the whale, providing round-the-clock medical treatment, testing, and 24-hour monitoring,” the statement said.

The female whale was one of five that came from the Ontario facility, joining the three belugas already housed at Mystic Aquarium. Another beluga, a male, died in August with a pre-existing gastrointestinal condition.

Of the six remaining belugas, Mystic Aquarium says one is in the intensive care unit. The five others are healthy, according to the facility.

Marineland is scheduled to face Niagara Regional Police a charge for animal cruelty in a St. Catharines courtroom on Monday after allegedly putting on whale and dolphin shows for entertainment purposes in August without the authority to do so.

With files from The Canadian Press.