A porpoise died Sunday after 18 days of 24-hour care at the Vancouver Aquarium.
Siyay stopped breathing and died at 5:07 a.m. in the morning.
The aquarium would not comment further until a press conference to be held Monday. They will release results from a necropsy completed Sunday.
Siyay was found stranded at Saltspring Island near Ganges on April 26. His underweight and undernourished body washed up onto the beach. A local mammal rescue centre sought help from the aquarium, who then transported Siyay by hovercraft and, with help from the Coast Goard, to an on-land, fresh water tank in Vancouver.
Vancouver Aquarium veterinarian Martin Haulena said after a preliminary health check that Siyay had multiple health problems and his chance of recovery was low.
The animal was suffering pneumonia, muscle damage, stomach ulcers and parasites in its lungs, Haulena said.
Haulena added at the time that it was important to minimize any bruises and cuts that could result from human intervention.
“It’s those problems that are the usual, immediate cause of death for stranded animals, not even the reason they were originally stranded,” he told The Canadian Press.
It was the second time in five years the aquarium has rescued a live porpoise, which staff consider an unusual educational opportunity.
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