Dolphin Dies at Dolphinaris 4th Death in Less Than 2 Years Protest Planned

Dolphinaris Arizona announced late in the evening on  Jan. 31, 2019 they have lost another dolphin. Kai, a male 22-year-old male dolphin, is the fourth dolphin to die at the facility in less than two years.

On Dec. 31, 2018, Khloe, an Atlantic female bottlenose, age 11 years old died. Alia, a 10-year-old female, died in May 2017 of a bacterial infection, and Bodie died in Sept. 2017 from a rare muscle disease.

Christian Schaeffer, the general manager of  the facility, said in a statement that Kai started to show declining health two weeks ago. Ultrasounds, bloodwork, and x-rays were immediately ordered. Specialists were called in for evaluations, and samples were sent to the outside university veterinary laboratories. Kai showed improvement, but his health rapidly declined at 11:30 pm MT.

Kai was given emergency treatment including x-rays, oxygen, and medicine. Despite all the treatment, Kai’s health continued to decline, and the decision was made to euthanize him humanely.

Schaeffer said he understands that having four dolphins die in a year and a half is not normal. Proactive measures are being taken to ensure the safety of the animals. An external pathologist will be conducting a necropsy to determine the cause of Kai’s death.

A protest is scheduled to be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, Feb. 2 at 11:00 a.m MT. Since the aquarium opened, many people have been against it saying dolphins should not be living in the desert.

Written by Barbara Sobel

Sources:

AZ Family: Another dolphin dies at Dolphinaris Arizona, 4th death in less than 2 years
AZ Central: Protest planned as fourth dolphin dies at Dolphinaris Arizona
News Channel 5: Fourth dolphin dies at Arizona oceanarium in less than two years

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of  Matthew Baya’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License