Zeus, the walrus, has died, Marineland says 2nd walrus death in last 19 months

Almost a month afterZeus the walrus died, Marinelandhas issued a statement confirming his death.

Zeus was one of the few remaining walruses at theamusement park and zoo in Niagara Falls, Ont. He died "suddenly and peacefully" of natural causeson Dec. 26, according toMarineland.

The large marine mammal'sdeath marks the second time a walrus at the park has died in the past 19 months, after a female walrus namedSonja's"surprise" deathin May 2017.

Before his death, Zeus was under "normal, full-time veterinary oversight" and wasn't showing any signs of illness,the park stated in a media release dated Jan. 21.

Marineland goes on to say that Zeus was eating normally and "was generally at a healthy weight."

'Gut-wrenching' video

But PhilipDemers, a former animal trainer who worked at the parkfor more than a decade, said that's not true.

In 2016, Demersshared a video on YouTube of Zeus performing at the park, which was picked up by PETA and shared online.

It showed the animal'ships andshoulder bladesprotruding, proving the animal was"weak, lethargic and had no place on a stage," according toDemers.

The former trainer, who worked withZeus during his time at the park, said the walrus had a chronic regurgitation issue that made it difficult to keep down fish, but that struggle wasn't enough to explain his condition in the video.

"Quitefrankly Zeus was lacking probably two-thirds of his weight in blubber," he said. "The images were pretty gut-wrenching."

Park says walrus died of heart failure

Demerssaid an argument about the Zeus's health with park owner JohnHoler, who died in June, was one of the reasons he quit his job in 2012 and became an activist for the animals atMarineland.

His claims about the conditions at the park resulted in a $1.5 million lawsuit against him that is still before the courts and a 2015press release from Marinelandsaying Demers is not "legally qualified" to diagnose marine mammals.

In its statement released Monday, the parksaid Zeus lived a "life full of enrichment ...among his walrus friends" andhe left his mark on "millions of children and families" who learned about walruses by watching him.

The park saysan "independent and full necropsy has now confirmed that Zeus died of natural causes due to heart failure." Itadds the report about the walrus's death has been provided to the Animal Care Committee in accordance with Ontario Marine Mammal Care regulations.

"Everyone at Marineland is saddened by his passing," the statement concludes.

A postscript at the end of the media release also adds the park only publicly reports details about an animal's death after an "independent, accurate" necropsy report is completed and sent to the committee.

Activist wants other walruses removed

But Demers believes the park only made Zeus's death public because of posts he made about it on social media and the resulting requests for comment from media organizations.

The death hit him hard, but Demers said he's gladZeus isn't suffering.

Now his focus has turnedSmooshi and Apollo, the only two walruses Demers believes are still livingat the park.

"This was not going to end nicely for Zeus, but my thoughts still lie with the remaining walruses. They need to be removed from Marineland and I think it needs to happen ASAP."