VANCOUVER – A break-in at the Vancouver Aquarium this morning is not likely linked to the death of a young beluga whale just over an hour later, police said Friday.
Vancouver police spokeswoman Jana McGuiness said police are investigating, but said it was unlikely that the 4:30 a.m. break-in was connected to the death of Tiqa at about 5:45 a.m.
Aquarium staff member Clint Wright said Tiqa wasn’t eating properly during the week and developed an infection yesterday. The three-year-old beluga was under 24-hour-watch which is why aquarium officials were there to spot the intruder and call police.
Tiqa was taken to the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Health Care Centre to undergo a full necropsy by veterinarians Dr. Martin Haulena and Dr. Stephen Raverty, aquarium staff said in a news release.
“Vancouver Aquarium staff-particularly its animal care team-and volunteers are deeply saddened by this loss,” staff said in the release.
Tiqa was born on June 10, 2008. Tiqa’s mother Qila, was born at the aquarium in 1995.
This is the second death of a young beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium since 2010, when one-year-old Nala died in June of that year, two weeks after her first birthday.
A necropsy performed after that beluga’s death showed Nala had a unique pocket located off her airway.
It had become inflamed after a couple of rocks and penny became lodged in the pocket.
Nala stopped breathing after fluid accumulated in her lungs.
In 2005, a three-year-old beluga named Tuvaq also died at the Vancouver Aquarium.
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