Aquarium’s bottlenose dolphin named ‘Nani,’ or ‘beautiful’ in Hawaiian, dies at 44

BALTIMORE (WBFF) – Baltimore’s National Aquarium is announcing the loss of Nani, its oldest Atlantic bottlenose dolphin.

Aquarium officials say that 44-year-old Nani started displaying unusual behavior on Monday and the animal care team responded to perform emergency care. However, Nani did not recover and passed away that evening. An investigation to determine her exact cause of death is underway.

The wild-born Nani came to Baltimore in 1990 and was the matriarch of the Aquarium’s colony and the mother of Beau and Spirit. Nani means “beautiful” in Hawaiian.

“We all loved Nani dearly,” said National Aquarium Chief Executive Officer John Racanelli. “She was very much a member of the National Aquarium family, and we are heartbroken to lose her.”

Seven other Atlantic bottlenose dolphins live at the Aquarium -- Jade, Spirit, Chesapeake, Maya, Bayley, Beau and Foster. The Aquarium announced that they’re creating the first North American dolphin sanctuary in Florida or the Caribbean, which will open in 2020.