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News Release |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 25, 2007 |
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Sarah Burnette (317) 630-3265 General Public Information:
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INDIANAPOLIS ---- Members of the staff of the Indianapolis Zoo are saddened to announce the death of one of the Zoo’s Atlantic bottlenose dolphins during the late morning of Sunday, June 24. According to Zoo Deputy Director Paul Grayson, Phoenix, an adult female dolphin estimated to be 24 years old, unexpectedly succumbed in the Zoo’s main dolphin performance pool, where her body was discovered shortly thereafter and subsequently recovered and transported to the Zoo’s veterinary hospital. A team headed by Zoo Senior Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Proudfoot and assisted by the Zoo veterinary staff conducted a gross necropsy (the equivalent of an autopsy in humans) on Sunday evening. Dolphin demonstrations on Sunday afternoon were cancelled to allow the staff and the other dolphins some time to recover, but were resumed on Monday, June 25. Preliminary results of the necropsy do not indicate the cause of death. Findings so far show nothing remarkable other than the fact that the dolphin’s lungs were filled with water. The nature of the problem that caused Phoenix to stop swimming to the surface to breathe are not readily apparent, but almost certainly were caused by the sudden onset of an episode such as a possible seizure or loss of consciousness. There was no evidence of any trauma or entrapment, and Phoenix was by medical history and by weight a robust and healthy animal. A wide variety of blood and tissue samples will be sent to labs across the country for analysis that could offer insight into exactly what medical problem was involved. According to Dr. Jeff Proudfoot, the senior Zoo veterinarian, “What happened to Phoenix remains a mystery at this point, and there is nothing obvious that tells us what occurred. This particular dolphin’s medical history is unremarkable, and she was behaving and eating normally Sunday morning. In addition, she had undergone a complete quarterly physical in May that did not indicate any problems. We are hopeful that the lab tests over the next several weeks will help us understand what pathology may have been at work.” The Zoo staffers most directly affected by Phoenix’s death are the marine mammal trainers who had cared for her and worked with her over the past 20 years since she arrived in Indianapolis in 1988. Zoo Marine Mammal Curator Jodie Baker reports that Phoenix was a social animal, very trainable and cooperative. She was very reliable and she was a favorite among the staff for her gentle nature. She received her name from the fact that she was quite ill during the time she spent between her original home off the coast of Florida and coming to Indianapolis. When she made a miraculous recovery, she was named Phoenix after the bird that rose from the ashes. She was distinguished by a shark bite scar on her right side and a tear in her pectoral flipper, both received sometime during her life in the wild. According to scientific studies conducted on behalf of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and aquariums (AMMPA), on average, a one-year old bottlenose dolphin in AMMPA member facilities is expected to live for more than 25 years, while the median life expectancy of a one-year-old bottlenose dolphin in AMMPA member facilities is 24.3 years, both figures in excess of what occurs with these animals in the wild. Veterinarians have no reason to believe, however, that age played a part in Phoenix’s death. With the loss of Phoenix, the Indianapolis Zoo has seven Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in its collection. The adults range from 22-24 years old and weigh between 300- 500 pounds. They each have unique personalities and physical characteristics that allow the marine mammal trainer staff to tell them apart. The two males are Sundance and Kimo, and the remaining adult females are Nova, Ripley and China. Three young dolphins have been born at the Zoo. Nova’s female calf Kalei (KAH-LAY’) was born in November 2000. China gave birth to another female, later named Indy, in August 2001, while Ripley produced a male, Jett, in February 2002. Jett now resides at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago where he has bonded with another young male dolphin approximately his same age. Another adult female dolphin from the original group, Shiloh, died in 1997 from an acute infection.
Phoenix will be greatly missed by
both the Zoo staff and Zoo visitors. -30- Located in White River State Park downtown, the Indianapolis Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the American Association of Museums as a zoo, aquarium and botanical garden. The Indianapolis Zoo inspires local and global communities to celebrate, protect, and preserve our natural world through conservation, education, and research, and by providing an enriching and wondrous environment for our visitors and the animals in our care. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. |
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