Sixth Rescued Marineland Beluga Dies in California

Cyprus, a 9-year-old beluga rescued from the shuttered Marineland in Ontario, died at SeaWorld San Diego after stopping eating and rapidly declining; an ultrasound indicated his intestinal tract was not functioning normally. SeaWorld said he had initially been eating and interacting normally, and that belugas can conceal illness; a necropsy will investigate the cause, with results to be shared with U.S. officials. The two other rescued belugas at SeaWorld are reported to be stable and under close monitoring. Cyprus’s death adds to a series of losses among animals relocated from Marineland, which transferred dozens of belugas and dolphins after saying it could no longer care for them.