A baby beluga whale died shortly after birth at SeaWorld Orlando, the second newborn to die at the park in the past seven weeks.
The theme park announced the death of the beluga calf Friday on their SeaWorld Cares blog. Whisper, the 17-year-old mother, had been on 24-hour watch since April after SeaWorld’s animal care team saw signs she was going into labor.
“Unfortunately, the unusually weak calf surfaced only briefly before sinking to the bottom of the pool,” the park’s release said.
There were no signs of complications during Whisper’s labor, according to the blog. Whisper received routine ultrasounds and health assessments to monitor her and the calf’s progress throughout the pregnancy.
A Commerson’s dolphin died at SeaWorld May 20, minutes after her 16-year-old mother gave birth.
Whisper was born at SeaWorld San Antonio in 1999, and arrived at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010. She is active and alert and being monitored in a back pool at Wild Arctic’s beluga habitat before resuming her normal activities.
SeaWorld is conducting a post mortem exam and laboratory testing to determine the cause of the calf’s death.