Dolphins keep dying mysteriously at this Las Vegas casino

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

K2 was fun to be around. The bottlenose dolphin was an energetic 11-year-old, a young adult in dolphin years, who was born at The Mirage casino on the Las Vegas strip and lived his entire life there.

Visitors sometimes paid as much as $450 to have brief in-water interactions with him and other bottlenose dolphins. His handlers said he was often vocal and made people smile.

But earlier this month K2 started to show signs of illness. He didn’t want to eat his fish. Bloodwork showed his liver enzymes were high, and internal imaging prompted treatment for respiratory illness. His care team administered antifungals, antibiotics, and nebulizer breathing treatments.

Yet K2 died on September 24, marking the third dolphin death at The Mirage in just the past six months. Maverick, a 19-year-old dolphin, died earlier in September following treatment for a lung infection. And Bella, 13, died in April after being treated for gastroenteritis.

-more-

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dolphins-keep-dying-mysteriously-at-this-las-vegas-casino/ar-AA12nLs5

I don't know but maybe animals like these aren't well suited for captivity.

[secondwind]

1. They don't belong in this environment. Let them be free!!!!

[MLAA]

2. I don't think any animals are suited in captivity, thanks for sharing the article.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

3. Gross. Wouldn't pay a cent to see

This wonderful INTELLIGENT animal living like this. Always a new WTF with Vegas.

[Farmer-Rick]

4. The heat. From the article....

"Blasko did not share medical records for K2, Maverick, and Bella with National Geographic. But Rose, the marine mammal scientist, says a major problem with The Mirage’s dolphin exhibit is that it exposes the animals to Las Vegas’ extremely hot climate. A common complaint among animal welfare advocates is that the entirely outdoor exhibit does not provide adequate shade for The Mirage dolphins. Moreover, conditions in human-made pools can’t emulate those in the wild, where dolphins can dive deep into the water away from the heat, swim vast distances, and live in complex social groups, she says."

I know with livestock heat exacerbates infections. Had 2 sheep with similar injuries. The one injured in the summer ended up getting a very serious infection while the one in winter healed perfectly well.

[2naSalit]

5. That and...

The place in Phoenix, there no excuse for those fucking places.

[jeffreyi]

6. Effing Effheads.

Happy happy dolphins. Gawd.