A beluga whale owned by a Canadian aquarium has died at Orlando Sea World in the U.S. and reignited debate over whether whales should be bred in captivity.
Nanuq was estimated to be 31 or 32 and had been moved several times to breed at different facilities. The whale had been undergoing treatment for an infection caused by a broken jaw. The jaw was fractured during an encounter with two other whales that were said to have been part of a compatible social group.
While Nanuq had been on loan to the Florida entertainment facility for 18 years, there was a rigorous debate about breeding at the Vancouver Aquarium which had loaned him. In spite of several protests, the aquarium’s board voted against a breeding ban in November. While it does not have an active breeding, aquarium says copulation between whales does sometimes occur.
The Vancouver Aquarium is undergoing a $100 million expansion that will include new, larger whale tanks. It currently has eight belugas, four of which remain in U.S. Sea Worlds.
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