Respiratory illness claims orca Bjossa

Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — Bjossa, the longtime orca star of the Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia, died Monday at SeaWorld here.

The 25-year-old whale had been battling a chronic respiratory illness for two years before moving to the California park in April.

Officials were pleased in late August when Bjossa perked up after a period of poor health. But the huge creature again grew lethargic in recent days and her condition deteriorated despite treatment with antibiotics, SeaWorld spokesman Bob Tucker said.

"We still fought all the way to the end," he said. "We tried a more aggressive form of treatment today and gave it our best shot to try and save her life."

Bjossa is the first whale to die at SeaWorld since March 1990, leaving the park with nine remaining orcas. One of the females, Kasatka, gave birth to a male last month.

Bjossa came to SeaWorld after the Vancouver Aquarium closed its whale display. She performed in park shows for a few months. Since August, she had been in a special pool for whales requiring medical care.

"We were so thrilled with the rapid social adjustment she made with the existing whale population here," Tucker said. "We were blown away by how quickly she adapted."

A necropsy will be performed and results will be available in about four weeks, Tucker said.

Before she was sent to SeaWorld so she could be with other whales, Bjossa had been the only orca in captivity in the Pacific Northwest. Her mate, Finna, died of pneumonia in 1997. The pair arrived in Vancouver in 1980.