34-year-old beluga whale dies

A beluga whale who was one of the oldest such whales in captivity has died at her home in the New York Aquarium, a spokeswoman said.

Kathy, a 34-year-old beluga whale, had suffered from a bacterial infection and died yesterday morning, aquarium spokeswoman Fran Hackett said.

Kathy had been ill for many months and was scheduled to be put down.

She died after being given a shot to calm her down before the injection.

Beluga whales are an arctic species known for the prominent rounded structure on the top of their heads, which is called the melon. In the wild, they typically live to be less than 30-years-old.

“At the age of 34, Kathy was truly an amazing animal and an ambassador for her species,” aquarium director Paul Boyle said in a statement.

Kathy was born in Canada in 1969 and came to the aquarium in Brooklyn, New York, in the early 1970s.

While at the aquarium she gave birth to two baby whales: Nyci, the first baby beluga to survive more than a few days in captivity, and Casey. Nyci died when she was eight-weeks-old, Casey died when he was eight.

The aquarium has one other beluga, 20-year-old Marina.