The Vancouver Aquarium is mourning the death of another marine mammal after a rescued harbour porpoise named 鈥淒aisy鈥 died on Thursday.
The aquarium that they became increasingly concerned about Daisy鈥檚 well-being after they noticed a change in its behaviour earlier this month. Staff started providing around-the-clock care for the harbour porpoise after its health took a 鈥渄ownturn鈥 this week.
The Vancouver Aquarium said that results of a preliminary necropsy showed that the cetacean had a pulmonary disease.
The aquarium鈥檚 Marine Mammal Rescue Centre rescued Daisy when it was only a month old in August, 2008.
The news of the porpoise鈥檚 death comes at the same time the aquarium announced it was submitting a legal challenge to overturn the Vancouver Park Board鈥檚 bylaw banning the facility from acquiring new whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Daisy鈥檚 death leaves the aquarium with two remaining cetaceans, a false killer whale and a Pacific white-side dolphin.
The aquarium has come under fire in recent months after the deaths of two resident beluga whales in the fall. The belugas, a mother and daughter named Aurora and Qila, died from exposure to a toxin. The exact substance has not been identified.
With files from CTV Vancouver