Sea World Whale Fights Deadly Illness

One of Sea World’s two adult killer whales has developed a rare fungal infection that is usually fatal, but veterinarians at the marine park cautiously expressed hope Thursday that an experimental drug will save its life.

This week, park doctors say, Knootka, an 8,500-pound killer whale in her late 20s, has become the first whale to receive itraconazole, an experimental drug that is approved for human use in Europe. Sea World has received special permission from the federal Food and Drug Administration to administer the drug, which park doctors believe is the most effective of its kind.

“Historically, systemic fungal infections have been fatal. That’s what we’re up against,” said Sea World veterinarian Jim McBain. “But historically, there hasn’t been a drug like this. Maybe we’re entering a new era, or maybe we aren’t. We’re trying to be optimistic.”

Dan LeBlanc, the Sea World spokesman, concurred. “She could live an hour, she could live five more years,” he said. “We just don’t know.”

If Knootka were to die, she would be the third killer whale to die at Sea World since Baby Shamu was born last year. In August, 1988, just three days after the birth, the baby’s father, Orky, died of natural causes brought on by old age, the park said. At about 30, Orky was the oldest killer whale in captivity at the time.

Then, last August, Baby Shamu’s mother, 14-year-old Kandu, died in a freak injury caused when she attempted to dominate another female whale, Corky, during a performance. Since then, Corky has become a surrogate mother to Baby Shamu, also known as Orkid.

Last month, keepers noticed that Knootka was lethargic and was shunning food. When blood samples revealed a high level of white blood cells, indicating infection, park doctors began to administer antibiotics.

Last week, when Knootka had not improved, McBain sent another blood sample to a laboratory in Oklahoma that specializes in the study of mycosis, or diseases caused by parasitic fungi. No sooner had that test come back positive than marine keepers noticed a small growth on Knootka’s tongue. Technicians tested the growth and found it to be fungus.

“It appears to be confirming our worst dreams,” said McBain, adding that he believes the systemic fungal infection took hold because Knootka’s immune system is weakening with age. According to McBain, female killer whales can live up to 40 years, while males generally live until age 30.

Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a marine mammal conservation group, disagreed with McBain’s life-expectancy estimates and said he believes Knootka’s captivity, not her age, caused the problem.

“The killer whale in the wild can live 60 or 70 years--very comparable to a human. This one is not old,” he said. “Life span in captivity is severely reduced because of the capture, the stress of living in a confined space, the unsanitary conditions. If you go through the statistics of the whales or dolphins that have died in captivity, most are due to infections.”

Other whale experts disputed Watson’s views.

“That’s pure speculation on their part,” said Dennis Kelly, a marine biology professor at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, who said the “age-question controversy” is being hotly debated. “Marine parks are a necessity. We are so ignorant of marine mammals that their only hope is that people will go to parks and become highly motivated to work for conservation of marine habitats.”

Dr. Laurie Gage, the veterinarian at Marine World Africa USA in Vallejo and at the California Marine Mammal Center, a rehabilitation and release center for recovered animals, said, “People are ready to attack animals in captivity, but I’m sure animals in the wild have this same problem, and they don’t get any care.”

In fact, McBain said, fungal infections of the type Knootka has contracted have been reported in the wild. He said they may be more common in marine parks because, in the wild, a sickly animal would die of a bacterial infection before it could develop the slower-acting fungal infection.

For now, Knootka is convalescing in a pool of her own, while Corky and Orkid swim in another pool nearby. Doctors say the internal infection poses no danger to the other whales, but Knootka has been kept separate from the thriving 1,100-pound baby because she has no experience caring for young whales.

Twice a day, Knootka ingests 100 pink and blue capsules of itraconazole, which keepers craftily hide inside herring. Even with 50 times the daily human dose of the drug, McBain said, progress is likely to be slow.

“Realistically, we won’t know how we’re doing until we’re done,” he said. “There are not enough of these cases around to compare.”

As much as possible, McBain said, keepers are preserving Knootka’s normal daily routine. Up to eight times a day, they conduct regular training sessions, playing with her fins and blowing bubbles in the water. Never a consistent part of Sea World’s twice-daily whale performances, Knootka has recently dropped out of the shows altogether. But, if she indicates she wants to perform in Shamu Stadium, McBain said, keepers will allow it.

“I think it would be a good sign,” he said. “She needs to have a reason to feel better, and that kind of activity might be it.”

McBain added that, once word of Knootka’s illness gets out, he is expecting the usual helpful get-well hints from animal lovers.

“We’re going to have a thousand phone calls about giving yogurt to the whale, or vinegar and water,” he said, laughing. “They’re well-meaning, but we’d like to assure them we’ve got the best treatment going.”

Still, officials at the marine park have braced for the possibility of Knootka’s death. One of the 12 killer whales in Sea World’s three other parks might be moved to San Diego to replace Knootka if needed, they said. And so far, they have only purchased enough of the Belgian-made anti-fungal drug to last 30 days--about $6,000 worth.

“If we still have Knootka in two weeks, we’ll continue to get more,” McBain said. “Even under the best of circumstances, there are no guarantees.”