Whale brought from Canada to US dies

MYSTIC, Conn.

The second of five whales brought from Canada to Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium last year for research purposes has died.

The aquarium announced on its website that the female had been receiving intensive care for the past several months for multiple health issues but died early Feb. 11 morning. A necropsy was to be performed to determine the cause of death.

A male beluga named Havok, who had a preexisting gastrointestinal issue, died in August. The two whales were among five brought to Mystic last spring from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, after a lengthy battle to obtain permits from both the United States and Canada.

Animal rights activists had sued unsuccessfully to block the transport, alleging a permit granted by the U.S. Commerce secretary and National Marine Fisheries Service didn’t adequately address the potential harm to the belugas from being moved to Mystic.

The whales, which ranged in age from 7 to 12 at the time of the transport, were born in captivity, and officials say they cannot safely be released into the ocean. Mystic officials said at the time that the five whales left an overcrowded habitat with about 50 other Belugas in Canada.

The Animal Welfare Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based animal protection advocacy organization, called for an investigation into the deaths in a statement on its website.

In the aquarium’s statement, Dr. Stephen Coan, the aquarium’s president and CEO, said Mystic has addressed issues raised during a visit last fall by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the first whale died. Those included the handling of animals with vision challenges, certain fluctuations in water quality and shade for animals.