Another Beluga dies in Georgia Aquarium
A beluga whale has died at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The female whale, named Marina, had stopped eating two weeks prior to her death and had become disoriented, swimming erratically in her tank. WDCS is very concerned with the recent series of deaths at the Aquarium, suggesting an unusual string of mortalities that may have been preventable. WDCS believes that whales and dolphins do not belong in captivity, and that a captive environment can never fully meet the social, psychological and biological needs of these highly sentient animals.
Sadly, Marina’s name is added to the list of captive animals that have died at the Georgia Aquarium this year. Gasper, also a Beluga whale, died in January, along with a whale shark, and a second whale shark died this past summer.
The deaths have highlighted concerns over keeping whales and dolphins in captivity. WDCS Campaigner Courtney Vail said: “The quality of that whale’s life was deprived. Captive belugas do not have the same quality of life as that enjoyed by their free-swimming peers, and those animals born in the wild and captured for use in displays miss their wild families.”
“When you put them in a tank you take them out of their communities. Stress is certainly a factor in their long-term lives in captivity. Marina was isolated for people’s enjoyment, and she developed ulcers before her death, which was most likely a sign of stress."
Source: WDCS
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