A 5-year-old beluga whale a Qingdao Polar Ocean, China, is suffering from an unknown disease which is causing ulcerations on her tail and body as well as lowering her appetite. A Chinese newspaper has reported that a phoneline has been set up for experienced vets worldwide to offer their expertise.

From chinadaily.com (17 Jan 2007):
Veterinarians who sometimes have trouble diagnosing diseases because their patients can't talk have never had a problem this big. Doctors are racking their brains to treat Tina a 5-year-old, 500-kilogram female white whale at Qingdao Polar Ocean World in this coastal city in East China's Shandong Province. Two pus-filled lumps each 5 centimeters in diameter on her body and ulcerations on her tail fins have made Tina suffer every day for more than a month. She has been in low spirits and has no appetite, according to the theme park's animal keepers.

"We are making every effort to cure her, though we have no such experience," said Liu Zhenguo, deputy general manager of the aquarium, which has four white whales. "We don't know what disease she suffers from. We hope experts from home or abroad will join us in our efforts to save Tina." The aquarium has opened a 24-hour hotline to solicit opinions on medical treatment. Local veterinarians have checked Tina several times, giving her oral medicine and antibiotic injections. Xu Ting, at Qingdao Seaside Charity Hospital, said it is still too early to tell whether the illness is threatening her life. "But she is getting thinner each day," Xu said.

Tina, who was imported from Russia in 2004, is a "priceless" addition to the marine theme park, after more than two years of training, Liu said. The new tourism season starts in May. There are about 62,000 to 80,000 white whales in the world, living around the North Pole. However, the number is decreasing due to commercial hunting.

Marine Connection comment:
Beluga whales in captivity have been growing in recent decades, with many animals being captured from the wild for the captivity industry off the coast of the Russian Federation and transferred to countries such as China, Korea but also Canada.

These deep-diving arctic animals which are adapted to a freezing climate do not fare well in artificially produced tanks which lack the space, the currents, the live fish and the diverse environment which beluga whales thrive in. This report comes shortly after the death of Gasper the whale at Georgia Aquarium which had been suffering from illness since mid-2006.