A 4-year-old female pilot who has been living at SeaWorld Orlando since being rescued in September 2012 has been diagnosed with a bacterial infection.
Ava was 6 months old when she was rescued during a mass stranding of pilot whales in September 2012. At the time the federal government determined she was too young to be returned to the wild, so she came to SeaWorld Orlando who provided her with a home.
Over the weekend, Ava began showing signs of fatigue and loss of appetite, SeaWorld said.
SeaWorld Orlando veterinarians and animal care experts determined through tests that she has an infection from a bacterium called Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae which SeaWorld says is common in the marine environment and can cause serious illness in both wild cetaceans and cetaceans in zoological care. In some cases it can even be fatal.
SeaWorld says Ava is being monitored around the clock.
The health care team at SeaWorld says they are cautiously optimistic that the current treatment of antibiotics and fluids will resolve the infection and return her to good health. However, they are leaving nothing to chance; the animal care team will continue to monitor the young whale around-the-clock.