Killer Whale Dies Following the Muddy Disaster at Marineland [View all]

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19 year old Valentin. Photo by Liam Kotteburg courtesy of Orcahome.de

Born 19 years ago, the killer whale ‘Valentin’ lived his entire life in the confines of Marineland’s tanks – tanks which ultimately may have been the cause of his death. Recent flooding in the south of France overwhelmed Marineland’s filtration system causing the water quality to plummet. The mud and debris led to other animal deaths, including turtles, rays and fish.

Valentin’s mother, Freya, died four months ago of an undetermined illness and the stress of losing her may have played a part in Valentin’s death as well. According to an article at Orca Aware, in some populations in the wild male survival is linked to their mothers and once the mothers die their sons often don’t live long. Yet Valentin had displayed aggressive behavior to his mother along with a suite of abnormal behaviors including chewing on concrete and bumping his head on the tank, according to the Orca Aware article.



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http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/2015/10/12/killer-whale-dies-following-the-muddy-disaster-at-marineland/