Ailing Vancouver Aquarium beluga stumps vets

VANCOUVER — The sudden illness of a female beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium following her offspring’s unexpected death two days earlier has her caretakers scrambling to figure out what is behind the alarming development.

John Nightingale, the aquarium’s president and CEO, said the facility is conferring with medical experts both inside and outside Canada to identify what is ailing Aurora. The whale, believed to be 29, is exhibiting the same symptoms that preceded the death of Qila, her 21-year-old calf.

“Whether it’s an internal toxin from disease or an external toxin from food, it seems likely that at the very core, physiological root of the problem, there probably is a toxin in there somewhere,” Nightingale said. “That’s what we’re trying to find.”

The facility’s top veterinarian has consulted with experts at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, the University of Guelph’s veterinary toxicology department and the aquatic biotoxin wing of the United States’ federal agency responsible for overseeing ocean quality, Nightingale said.

Aurora’s condition appeared to have stabilized by Friday afternoon, he said, adding that she was calmer and more alert after her transfer to a medical pool the day before for round-the-clock care and supervision.

Officials said Aurora, who isn’t eating, appears to be suffering from abdominal cramps and inflammation, and that caretakers are giving her fluids, as well as antibiotics and stomach medication.

The elder beluga gave birth in 1995 to Qila, who died suddenly this week. Qila was the first beluga to be born in captivity in Canada.

A necropsy on the younger whale failed to determine a cause of death.

Aurora is the only beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium. The facility’s five other belugas are living at various locations around the United States in order to make way for a planned expansion project at its facility in Stanley Park.

Construction is slated to begin next year that will see the beluga tank double in surface area and triple in water volume, Nightingale said.

He said questions around whether the recent misfortunes would affect expansion plans will be addressed in the coming days.