Kyara, The Last Orca Born In Captivity At SeaWorld, Has Died At Three Months Old

The last orca born in captivity at SeaWorld has died, aged just 3 months old.

Over the weekend, female killer whale Kyara was treated at the park's Animal Hospital for an infection, but her condition continued to deteriorate.

She died on Monday at SeaWorld's San Antonio park from a suspected pneumonia, surrounded by the dedicated SeaWorld staff.

Credit: Twitter

The calf had been under 24-hour care and watch at the attraction's animal hospital.

SeaWorld released the following statement on Twitter: "Friends of SeaWorld, we are extremely saddened to announce the passing of Kyara, our newest killer whale calf.

"Kyara was being cared for at the park's Animal Hospital, surrounded by a team of dedicated staff members.

"Despite the teams best efforts, Kyara passed earlier today, surrounded by lots of love."

Kyara was born in April, and although the park announced the end of its breeding program back in March 2016, orcas can be pregnant for up 18 months.

Back in January, SeaWorld San Diego claimed it would be ending its killer whale show just days after the death of Tilikum the orca, and that it would be phasing out whale shows at its Orlando and San Antonio sites.

The show was replaced with a new attraction called Orca Encounter. Unlike the previous, long-running show, the new attraction aims to give a more educational experience, however it has been criticised by animal rights activists as it still sees the animals jumping out of the water and responding to trainers.

Featured Image Credit: SeaWorld

James Dawson

James Dawson is a Journalist at LADbible. He has contributed articles to LADbible’s ‘Knowing Me, Knowing EU’ series on the EU referendum, the 'Electoral Dysfunction' series on the 2017 general election, the ‘U OK M8?’ series tackling mental health amongst young men, and for its ‘Climate Change’ initiative in partnership with National Geographic.

@thejaytoday