Sea World Whale Asia Dies of Infection

An adult female whale at Sea World died from an internal infection that park officials had discovered about three weeks ago, the park announced Monday.

The whale named Asia died Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in the park’s animal care tank. She was one of three pseudorca whales, or false killer whales, at the San Diego park, Sea World spokesman Dan Le Blanc said.

“She had been progressively deteriorating in a period of three weeks,” senior staff veterinarian Jim Mc Bain said. “We know she died from lung congestion, but we’re still uncertain of the underlying cause of her death.”

On May 30, caretakers noticed a decrease in Asia’s activity and interest in food, Mc Bain said. He said she was treated with antibiotics and was given extra vitamins.

A necropsy was conducted late Saturday, in which water was found in Asia’s lungs, Le Blanc said. Although the severe lung congestion and fluid accumulation in her abdomen appear to be the immediate cause of death, Mc Bain said it may take another four to six weeks to determine what initiated those problems.

Asia, a 1,000-pound whale in her mid-teens, performed in Sea World’s New Friends show, which includes whales and dolphins, before her illness. Sea World does not expect to replace Asia with another false killer whale, Le Blanc said.

False killer whales, which are often confused with the larger killer whale, are all-black and dolphin-like in appearance.

Asia was purchased by Sea World in 1987 from a park in Japan, Le Blanc said. She hails from the waters around a northern Japanese island.

The two other false killer whales at the park, Niki and Cassie, were brought to Sea World in 1987 and 1989, respectively.

Mc Bain said a false killer whale at the San Diego aquatic park also died in 1987. The whale had just arrived from Japan. He said he was new to the park at the time and is unaware of the circumstances surrounding that death.

Asia’s exact age is unknown, Mc Bain said, but the Florida park will examine her teeth, which should give an accurate age. He said teeth rings, much like the rings found in trees, can be counted to determine age. Asia was believed to be in her teens and at a reproductive age, he said.

Three of Sea World’s killer whales have died within an 18-month span. The latest was Knootka, an 8,500-pound animal in her mid- to late- 20s, who died after a four-month battle with a rare fungal infection.

In September, 1988, just three days after the birth of Baby Shamu, the baby’s father, Orky, died of natural causes brought on by old age, park officials said. Orky, about 30 years old, was the oldest killer whale in captivity at the time. A year later, Baby Shamu’s mother, Kandu, died in a freak injury caused when the 14-year-old whale attempted to dominate Corky, another female whale, during a performance.