Dolphin has 'breakthrough' surgery at Vancouver Aquarium

One of two Pacific white-sided dolphins at the Vancouver Aquarium is in serious condition after groundbreaking emergency surgery for a gastrointestinal disorder.

Aquarium veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena says that while theprocedure was successful, 21-year-old Hanaisbeing watched around theclock for the next 48 critical hours.

He says the normally energetic dolphin was listless earlier thisweek and that a team of experts flown in from across the UnitedStates confirmed shehad gastrointestinal problems.

The cause of Hana's illnessis not yet known, but Haulena says it is a rapid andlife-threatening condition among animals both in captivity and inthe wild.

As Hana's condition deteriorated Thursday evening, the expertsdecided to try surgery using general anesthesia, which the aquariumsays has never been done before on a dolphin or whale.

Haulena describes the surgery as a breakthrough in veterinarycare and says such a procedure would have been considered impossible only a few years ago.

"With advances in marine mammal medicine it's now a slim but possible option, and we had help from the very best in the field of veterinary medicine.

"What the team was able to achieve... was a breakthrough in veterinary care as Hana's surgical procedure has never before been successfully completed. Her prognosis is still critical, but we're hopeful."

Hana has been at the Vancouver Aquarium since 2005. She arrived from Enoshima Aquarium in Japan, where she was looked after for injuries from a fixed-location fishing net off the country's east coast in 2003.

When Japanese officials decided her injuries made it unlikely she wouldsurvive in the wild, she was sent to Vancouver.