Thanks for posting more of your interesting historical photos dmanwarren.
Do you and/or anyone else reading this have any insight into why the beluga exhibit at Minnesota Zoo ultimately failed? I've always wondered about this. Clearly they have success with bottlenose dolphins so it seems like the basic marine mammal husbandry standards there are good. Was this exhibit just not big enough to sustain belugas in a modern zoo?
Hi David, good question, When I was there (actually I was helping the crane operator bring the first one in) they did quite well. Tank was small by todays standards, but still good size. I would also be curious as to why they stopped displaying them, unless they died and decided againest getting any more.
I remember hearing that both whales became ill and the decision was to move them to Sea World where they would receive better care from cetacean-experienced vets. It was eventually found that the whales had cancer; a possible affect from the pollution in Hudson Bay where they were captured.
