Vancouver beluga's death blamed on heart failure

The young belugathat died at the Vancouver Aquarium last week likely died ofheart failure that flooded her lungs with fluid, a necropsy by provincial officials has concluded.

"At this point in time and based on the results so far, it does not appear that Tiqas death could have been predicted nor prevented," said Dr. Stephen Raverty, a veterinary pathologist with the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Health Centre.

Lesions were found on Tiqa's heart and other organs, indicating that there was heart failure for some time, according to a statement released by aquarium officials on Friday morning.

A massive amount of fluid was also found around Tiqa's lungs, and the whale's immediate cause of death was fluid within the lung tissue due tothe cardiovascular collapse, said officials.

"The cause of the heart lesions is not known but could be congenital, related to toxins, or possibly due to an, as yet, undetected virus or other organism," said the statement.

Preliminary results have not yet indicated a primary infectious cause, although results are still pending from sophisticated detection methods for organisms such as viruses.

"Working with colleagues and specialists from around the world, the aquarium is awaiting the results of many tests that are still pending. Some of these tests may take months to complete," said the statement.

Tiqadiedduring the early hours ofSept. 16. Previously officials said theysuspected she had died of pneumoniaor an infection.

Officials said Tiqa was being monitored for10 days before her death because staff noticed her appetite had declined, but it was not until the night before that officials began to suspect she was suffering from an infection or a more serious condition.

Officials ruled outany connection between the whale's death and a break-in at the aquarium the same morning.

3rd young beluga to die

Tiqa, who was just over three years old, is the third young beluga to die at the Stanley Park facility. A total of five belugas have been born in captivity at the aquarium.

The first calf born at the aquarium was Qila in 1995 to Aurora. She was also the first calf to be conceived and born in a Canadian aquarium. Qila gave birth to her own calf, Tiqa, in 2008, making Tiqa the first calf born to an aquarium-born beluga.

Aurora's second calf,Tuvaq,was born in 2002 but died suddenly in 2005.

Last year pennies and pebbles tossed in the beluga tank caused thedeath of Nala,another young beluga at the aquarium. Nala was born in June 2009 to Aurora.