Tuesday, May 10, 2005

howard died

the cbc told indecline about this and indecline told me and i felt sad about this.

i know louise will too because she helped to free howard from THE MALL *cue menacing soundtrack*


The last Edmonton dolphin, Howard, dies
Last Updated Mon, 09 May 2005 06:42:38 EDT
CBC News

EDMONTON - Howard, the last of the performing dolphins from the West Edmonton Mall, has died, about a year after moving to an aquatic park in the Florida Keys.

He was 26 – middle-aged, for a bottlenose dolphin – and the cause of death isn't yet known.

In the wild, dolphins can live past 40, though their lives are often shorter in captivity, and Howard was in poor health before he left Edmonton last spring.

Howard was caught with three other dolphins off the coast of Florida 20 years ago and they were brought to the West Edmonton Mall to perform.

The other three dolphins died in Edmonton in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

Beverley Osborne, curator at the Theater of the Sea, which had become Howard's new home, said he had adjusted well to the move back to Florida.

She said Howard had made "two very good friends" among other dolphins at the park, where they perform for and swim with tourists.

She said staff at the park are upset about his death, and an autopsy will be performed to determine how he died.

The Edmonton dolphin show was popular, but it was criticized by animal rights activists. A sea lion show is now put on at the mall twice each day.

Copyright ©2005 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved

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