Georgia Aquarium beluga whale (Photo : Reuters)
The baby beluga whale born at an aquarium in Atlanta, Ga., died just days before it becomes a month old. The birth of the female calf at the Georgia Aquarium on May 10 was considered a milestone for whales born in captivity.
According to United States aquarium officials, the baby beluga whale was the first "viable calf" to be born from parents born in captivity. After several days of nursing with her mother Maris, the calf did not gain a significant amount of weight and eventually died next to the mother, which also delivered a female calf that died days after birth in 2012.
While her mother was born at the New York Aquarium, the baby beluga's father Beethoven was born at SeaWorld San Antonio. The belugas never swam in an ocean while belugas naturally can dive to depths of 1 000m in their natural environment.
Aside from the fact that the baby beluga was behind schedule in growth, an exact cause of death may never be clear. On the other hand, aquarium officials said a necropsy will still be conducted.
With over 100,000 animals representing 500 species from various countries and eight million gallons of fresh and marine water, the Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the world. Before the baby beluga whale died, the aquarium's Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Gregory Bossart, V.M.D., Ph.D., gave updates about the calf's health condition.
On June 4, Bossart announced that the Georgia Aquarium's veterinary and animal care teams were continuing to consult with experts in the veterinary medicine field from across the U.S. while the baby beluga's health was in extremely guarded condition.
Prior to the death of the baby beluga at Georgia Aquarium, three juvenile beluga whales surfaced in in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers along the New Jersey shore. They were believed to be the same whales that appeared on Mother's Day off Rhode Island and over the Memorial Day weekend in Long Island waters, New Jersey News 12 reported.
