NIAGARA FALLS—On May 28, baby beluga Skoot died in the arms of trainers at Marineland after a brutal two-hour assault by two adult male belugas that left her unresponsive and unable to swim.

More:Marinelandanimals suffering, former staffers say

The attack unfolded in front of a Marineland guide untrained and helpless to intervene, who wrote a report of the 9-month-old calf’s ordeal, and Skoot’s mother Skyla, who tried in vain to protect her baby.

In an interview with the Star, Marineland owner John Holer blamed Skoot’s death on meningitis, based on a necropsy performed at the facility and samples analyzed at the Université de Montréal. He acknowledged that the attack on the calf occurred, but said it was over quickly. “If animals see another animal is going to die, they kill it.”

“You have to understand . . . for people and all living things, there is a time to live and a time to die,” he said.

The attack underscores concerns raised by former staffers that Marineland doesn’t employ enough trainers to properly handle its marine mammals or react quickly in an emergency, especially one like Skoot’s that began on a May evening after the park’s trainers had punched out.

• Video: Inside Marineland

At the time, there were nine trainers responsible for animals at the facility’s Friendship Cove and Arctic Cove where the attack took place, the Star has learned. None was on hand when the attack began at 6:30 p.m. and none arrived for two hours, despite the guide’s radio appeals for assistance.

“It’s so sad,” said a former Marineland trainer with many years of experience, who didn’t want to be named. “All anyone had to do was jump in the water and they would have backed off.”

As reported in Wednesday’s Star, interviews with eight former Marineland staff depict a pattern of neglect that has resulted in instances of animal suffering at the sprawling attraction. Former employees describe poor conditions, largely caused by bad water and a chronic shortage of trainers, leaving staff unable to properly look after the animals in their care.

• Photos: Meet the animals at Marineland

Marineland employee Jamie Charron was the guide on duty that night when adult males Andre and Orion began to attack Skoot. He desperately tried to intervene, according to his report of the incident. But he’s not an animal trainer, he was alone and didn’t have the skills to do much more than slap the water.

Charron radioed for help when the attack began, according to the report that he later printed out for Marineland trainers. The Star has obtained a copy of the document. Charron did not provide the document to the Star, but confirmed he wrote it. He declined to be interviewed without permission from Marineland.

During the long wait for help, Andre and Orion continually bit the calf’s rounded head and her body, pushed her violently around the pool, spun her 360 degrees around and slammed her hard into a rock wall where she literally stuck, the log says.

According to Charron’s report, Skoot gradually became unresponsive until she was just “floating helplessly.”

Skoot’s mother in vain tried to save her calf, pushing her towards Charron and trying to keep her there, bashing Orion away and looking at the human as if, in his view, she was counting on him to help her.

Skoot “passed away after a sudden onset of illness,” wrote Marineland vet Dr. June Mergl, in a letter forwarded to the Star. It was, she said, caused by an “acute bacterial infection.” Meningitis “can rapidly progress to a terminal state,” wrote Mergl.

When trainer Hugo Santana arrived at the Arctic Cove pool at 8:15 p. m. with another trainer, Jackie Kennedy, both plunged in to help pull Skoot from the water.

Santana later wrote a Marineland colleague: “(We) held her through her convulsions and mini seizures until she finally died in our arms.”

There are no government regulations for sea mammal captivity in Canada. The Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums — a self-regulating body — licensed Marineland for five years in 2007 and national director Bill Peters says there have been no complaints. Its licence was renewed for five years at the end of September 2011, after a summer inspection by a CAZA team of experts.

It’s not clear whether Marineland is screening their 41 belugas for meningitis and treating any that may have it.

Click here for more on The Star’s investigation into Marineland

The following is Charron’s account of Skoot’s final hours. Words in parentheses have been added by the Star.

May 28, 2012:

5:00-6:00 p.m.

Skoot would swim into C pool where she acted normal. Swam around while Andre joined her. He didn’t act aggressive or anything. Just swam with her. Once Skoot left C pool Andre also left.

6 p.m.

(A Marineland veterinarian — not Mergl) came by to see how things were going. She then left.

6:30 p.m.

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Orion began going with Andre and Skoot into C pool. He then became aggressive with Skoot and started jaw popping (rapidly opening and closing jaws, threatening). Once Andre saw Orion doing it, he joined in.

6:35ish p.m.

Radioed for (the veterinarian.) No answer. Then radioed (an office employee) to see if anyone was still there from Marine Mammals of Arctic and Friendship (staff looking after the two main coves with belugas and a single orca). No one was, so I radioed for John Holer. He sent out (the operations manager) . . . (who) then called (a marine mammal supervisor) and (the veterinarian.)

6:40-7:15 p.m.

Andre and Orion are both biting and raking Skoot (with their teeth). She was still in C pool. Andre going more towards the head while Orion for tail and right side. Skoot then made a vocalization. After that while I was smacking the water the whole time trying to get them away, Orion grabbed Skoot’s tail and spun her around literally 360 degrees. Then Andre came back and continued biting her melon (rounded top of head) while Orion went for her right side.

7:15- 7:20 p.m.

Breath rates: 18 (Counting times she surfaces to breathe over 5 minutes.)

7:20 p.m.

(Operations manager) got an answer from (marine mammal supervisor) on the phone where (supervisor) called into Hugo and Jackie.

7:20-7:45 p.m.

Skoot was being very unresponsive with swimming. You could see her pectorals (side flippers) move but not her tail. She made her way to me by the back wall of C pool while I tried to keep them away by slapping the water. She eventually floated away from the edge where they began attacking her once again. Andre switching between her melon and her right side where Orion went for her tail and her right side.

7:45 — 7:50

Breath rates: 24 (The higher breath rate is not good.)

Andre and Orion leave C pool. Andre comes back and begins bashing Skoot towards the A/C pool gate. He then bashes her into the gate twice trying to get her into A pool. Skoot at this point isn’t swimming at all. Her pectorals and flukes (two lobes of her tail) aren’t moving. She is just floating helplessly wherever she is pushed or the whales take her. She enters A pool where Orion and Andre going after her again. I continue to keep slapping the water whenever they go after her. She is pushed to the center of the pool where Andre and Orion can go at her from all sides. Slapping the water doesn’t help but I do it anyways. Orion grabs her fluke and spins her around 275 degrees.

Skyla finally does something by going to Skoot and pushing her towards the wall. Orion and Andre follow her continuing to attack Skoot. Skyla pushes Skoot against the wall right in front of me. Skyla looks at me as if she’s counting on me for help. Skyla keeps Skoot against the wall in front of me while she stayed on the other side trying to keep Orion and Andre away. Andre keeps going after Skoot while Skyla kept bashing Orion away. Skyla gives up, looks at me, then swims to the middle of the pool.

Andre and Orion push Skoot to the middle of the pool away from me. When Skyla gets a chance she pushes Skoot back to me, looks at me, vocalizes, then swims back to the middle. Andre and Orion go after Skoot. I slap the water but they just ignore me. I grab Orion’s attention and try to get him away from Skoot. It lasts for only a minute then he goes back.

Andre pushes Skoot away from the wall and towards the center of the bubble (underwater viewing area). I manage to scare them away for a moment while Skoot begins to float towards the bubble wall. Andre then pushes her hard towards the rock wall where she becomes pushed up enough to be stuck on it. Andre and Orion begin to corner her and attack her from all sides as she is stuck on the wall. I take off my shoes to try and at least get her off the wall. Before I even finish getting my sock off Orion grabs Skoot by the fluke and literally yanks her off the wall, and pushes her towards A/B gate. Andre and Orion continue to go after Skoot while I slap the water as much as possible.

8:15ish p.m.

Jackie and Hugo showed up. Hugo jumped into the pool around A/C gate. Skoot didn’t even move. He then jumped in again from the bubble. Skoot still didn’t move so he literally swam up to her and grabbed her. She didn’t even try to swim away or put up a struggle. Jackie went in and helped him guide Skoot into C pool and they closed the gate.”

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