ANIMAL OBITS

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2000:

Vigga, 23, a female orca whale captured
off Iceland in 1980, resident at Six Flags
Marine World in Vallejo, California, since
November 1991, died on August 14, reportedly
from a heart ailment. Vigga was the last
orca at Marine World; her longtime companion
Yaka died in October 1997.

Maria, 19, an Atlantic bottlenose
dolphin captured near Sarasota, Florida, and
brought to the West Edmonton Mall in 1985,
died at the mall on August 9. Three other dolphins
remain at the mall, but none will be
replaced when they die, said mall spokesperson
Travis Reynolds.

Dee, a female beluga whale, age
unknown, died suddenly on August 18 at
Niagara’s Marineland in Niagara, Ontario.
Dee was among nine belugas brought to
Marineland in October 1999 as part of a captive
breeding program. Her death followed
those of another female beluga in December
1999 and an orca whale calf in March 2000.

Nancy, 46, the last African elephant
at the National Zoo in Washington D.C., was
euthanized on August 22 to relieve suffering
caused by multiple severe conditions of age.
She came to the zoo from Kenya in 1956.
Czar, 15, a Siberian tiger resident at
the Oregon Zoo in Portland since 1989, was
euthanized on August 10 after a ten-month losing
battle with cancer. Known for his gentle
disposition, Czar performed in shows with a
Labrador retriever before the zoo acquired him.

Tamil, 23, the last African leopard
at the Toledo Zoo, kept on loan from the
Wildlife Waystation sanctuary in California
since May 1997, was euthanized on August 8
due to liver disease and advanced arthritis.
Wildlife Waystation loans particularly gregarious
animals to zoos as an alternative to captive
breeding, and in turn accepts from zoos animals
who are not well-suited to exhibition.