Watch Live: CityNews Tonight Vancouver

Necropsy provides no clear answer in dolphin death

By

VANCOUVER – (NEWS1130) – It was his home for more than a decade but we may never know how ‘Spinnaker’ the Pacific white-sided dolphin died at the Vancouver Aquarium.  A necropsy hasn’t led to any answers.

Dr. Martin Haulena is the aquarium’s head veterinarian and says the wait is now on for toxicology results, but there’s a chance nothing will turn up.

“It is unfortunately, extremely possible,” he says.  “At this point we don’t have a real cause as to what happened.  Really, all the things we knew about … were resolving very, very well.”

He says ‘Spin’, as he’s affectionately known, had a list of health problems and was likely in the late stages of his life at 26 years old.  He had an enlarged pancreas, had been suffering from a gastrointestinal illness, and there may have been signs of cancer or a bone marrow problem.
    
More tests are going to be done.

Spin had been on 24-hour watch and appeared to be doing better but was found unresponsive at the bottom of his pool by aquarium staff yesterday morning.
    
The dolphin was first rescued in 1991 but was moved to the Vancouver Aquarium in 2001.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today