Report: Mystic failed to notify vet before beluga’s whale’s death

MYSTIC — Staff at Mystic Aquarium recorded “abnormal behavior” in one of its beluga whales, but failed to notify his vet until the animal died hours later, according to a federal oversight report.

Havok, a 5-year-old beluga whale, died in August while being treated for gastrointestinal issues months after he and four other whales were transported to the aquarium from a facility in Canada. A second beluga whale from the group died weeks later.

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report based on an inspection last year, Havok began having “gaspy” breathing less than two hours before he died, and water was seen coming out of his blowhole. Staff also noted “active bleeding” from the whale's upper snout, the report stated.

“Although staff members were recording their observations of Havok's behaviors, the veterinarian was not contacted during this eight-hour timeframe until Havok's death,” the report stated. “The facility failed to provide adequate veterinary care by not using appropriate methods to prevent, control, diagnose and treat diseases during Havok's last eight hours.”

A second beluga whale that was also among those brought from Canada died in February.

Mystic Aquarium said in a statement at the time that it had “addressed issues raised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a regulatory inspection last fall.”

“While we do not agree with some of the findings, we respect USDA's feedback and are always working to continuously improve,” Meagan Seacor, a Mystic Aquarium spokesperson, said in an email Thursday. “We are committed to providing world-class care to all the animals that call Mystic Aquarium home.”

Seacor said a new inspection report issued by the USDA on Wednesday did not contain any findings or concerns.

The report from last year also faults the facility for an incident months before Havok's death where the whale, who had a vision impairment, swam straight into a gate.

On June 20, 2021, an aquarium visitor dropped a “foreign object” into the main pool, prompting workers to close the gates that separated the beluga whale pools.

“A facility employee attempted to retrieve the object with a net. Per the facility, Havok was startled by the net in the main pool and then swam towards the holding pool after the gate was shut,” the report reads. “Although the facility has applied dark hatch markings on the clear acrylic gate, Havok swam straight into the gate.”

The report found that the animals' handling in response to the object falling into the main pool “was not done as carefully as possible to ensure the safety of all the animals,” including Havok. At the time, Havok was being treated for an ocular condition that compromised his vision, the report stated.

The collision in the tank reopened and expanded a wound on Havok's upper snout and caused other lacerations, according to the report.

Two days after that incident, the report stated Havok injured himself in an area of the medical pool where the posts for a hydraulic mechanism are located, resulting in a 4-inch wound that required treatment.

The report also noted the lack of shade throughout the day at a holding pool, and higher levels of ozone in the water where the animals live.

A Darien-based animal rights group that had sued to block the transfer of the five beluga whales from Canada to Mystic Aquarium renewed its call Thursday for the state to ban importing or breeding whales in captivity in response to the USDA report.

“The legal system failed these belugas, but we still have the court of public opinion. It's time to redefine family entertainment as something other than exploiting animals,” said Priscilla Feral, president of the organization, Friends of Animals.

Seacor said the aquarium “would never import whales that we thought would have a consequence from the import.”

“Mystic Aquarium provides the highest quality of world-class care possible. Mystic Aquarium identified what we thought were healthy animals, and this was underscored by the Canadian veterinarian signing the health certificates when she determined they were suitable to travel, and the Canadian government reviewing the health certificates and issuing letters” to authorize the transport, she said.