Marineland: Two beluga whales die

Marineland confirmed Wednesday the deaths of two young beluga whales.

By: Kamila Hinkson News reporter

Wed Jun 05 2013

Two young beluga whales have died at Marineland.

A spokeswoman for the Niagara Falls amusement park confirmed the whales died over the past several months.

According to Ann Marie Rondinelli, Marineland veterinarians determined that one of the whales, Charlotte, “had an extremely rare and incurable inherited metabolic disorder.”

Rondinelli said in an email the disease “is found in beluga whales in the wild and, therefore, is also found in facilities in which they are cared for.”

Charlotte was born July 1, 2009 and died last November, she said.

A former senior trainer at Marineland who quit last year said the death of Charlotte was “anticipated.”

“She was sick and permanently in the shallow area, which was made at the time to provide easy access to her. She was treated regularly, but she was .. continue …

thestar.com

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