Spinnaker, a 16-year-old male dolphin who died March 8, 2012 is seen here flying high above the crowd in Vancouver July 16, 2003.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Spinnaker, the Vancouver Aquarium's male Pacific white-sided dolphin, was found dead this morning.
The marine mammal had been receiving treatment for a prolonged illness. He was thought to be around 25-years-old. Trainers and aquarium staff will be conducting a necropsy Thursday at the province's animal health centre in Abbotsford.
Spinnaker was brought to Vancouver on July 31, 2001. He and the aquarium's two remaining white-sided dolphins, Hanna and Helen, had been found caught up in fishing nets off the coast of Japan in 1991.
Spinnaker's death follows the passing of Milo the sea otter from lymphoma in January. The 13-year-old grew to be adored worldwide when he was filmed holding paws with his companion at the Vancouver Aquarium, garnering over 17-million views online.
Tiqa, a three-year-old beluga whale, died of heart failure in September, 2011. Nola, a one-year-old beluga calf, died due to a blocked airway in June, 2010.