While a closure is still officially considered “temporary,” signage is now coming down at Dolphinaris.
Sign crews tell KGUN9 they got the order Thursday to remove the signs.
This comes after recent news that a fourth dolphin died at the facility, a tourist attraction that advertised the chance to “swim with the dolphins.”
Earlier Friday we learned that the preliminary necropsy results gave no indication on what caused the death of Khloe, the third of four dolphins that died in the company’s care since 2017.
After 4 dolphins died @dolphinaris_az they officially took down their signage from the building this afternoon. This is what’s left. pic.twitter.com/sqZix41eNl
— John Trierweiler (@JohnTrierweiler) February 15, 2019
- Bodie: The male bottlenose dolphin died on Sept. 23, 2017, from a "rare muscle disease," the facility said.
- Alia: The female bottlenose dolphin died on May 22, 2017, from an "acute bacterial infection" that "spread quickly through her body," the facility said.
- Khloe: The female bottlenose dolphin died on Dec. 31, 2018. "Khloe came to Dolphinaris with a pre-existing chronic health condition caused by a parasite called Sarcocystis, which weakens an animal’s immune system. While we wanted the necropsy to tell us more, sometimes tests are not definitive. In fact, it is common that tests never pinpoint exactly what caused an animal’s passing, particularly one like Khloe who had lived with a health condition for six years," the facility said.
- Kai: The male bottlenose dolphin was euthanized on Jan. 31, 2019, after he showed signs of "difficulty swimming, eating and breathing" and his health continued to decline, the facility said. A necropsy (an animal autopsy) is pending and the results have not been released.
TIMELINE: See timeline of events surrounding 4 dolphin deaths
As of Friday afternoon, the Dolphinaris website is down and the facility is no longer listed as an attraction on Odysea's website.
We have reached out to Dolphinaris for comment on the signs being removed, but have not heard back.
