Karisma Sandoval

The Republic | azcentral.com

One of Dolphinaris Arizona's dolphins has died at the aquatic facility near Scottsdale.

Bodie, the 7-year-old bottle bottlenose dolphin, died on Sept. 23, according to a Dolphinaris statement. The dolphin had a rare muscle disease and was under constant veterinary care.

At least one animal advocacy group has criticized the facility for not publicly disclosing the death until a month later.

The Dolphinaris team consulted with several world-renowned marine mammal veterinarians in the United States and Europe to ensure Bodie was receiving appropriate treatment and in an effort to restore his health, according to a statement by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. They were not able to find a cure.

APHIS said it made a total of four visits to Dolphinaris, one for the pre-license inspection and the other three for routine inspections. Dolphinaris officially opened to the public in October 2016 and currently has seven bottlenose dolphins.

Bodie was still alive and appeared to be in stable condition during APHIS' last visit. According to APHIS, they were informed of his passing several days after the visit.

A full necropsy performed after Bodie's death showed the animal had extensive muscle damage that went beyond the location biopsied by the veterinarian. It also showed Bodie went into kidney failure, APHIS said.

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According to preliminary necropsy results, there was no other action the veterinary team could have taken for Bodie, a Dolphinaris statement said.

"Our team at Dolphinaris Arizona will continue our devotion to provide each of our dolphins with the highest standard of care in accordance to the industry’s best practices, as well as federal and international regulations," the statement said.

"During this difficult time, Dolphinaris Arizona will continue its mission to educate, inspire and empower our guests through interactions with these amazing animals, encouraging guests to become stewards of the oceans and its inhabitants," the statement by Dolphinaris said.

Advocates Against Dolphin Captivity in Arizona helped to get the word out about the dolphin's passing. The animal-rights group contacted APHIS after receiving a tip this month saying Bodie had passed in September.

A post on the advocacy group's Facebook page called out Dolphinaris for not telling the public of Bodie's death sooner.

"Not disclosing Bodie's death shows Dolphinaris Arizona's complete disregard for the public's right to know what's been happening at the Scottsdale facility!" the post said.

Dolphinaris is a dolphinarium with additional locations in Mexico, including Cancun, Barceló, Riviera Maya Park, Cozumel and Tulum. The facilities house dolphins in pools with approximately 1 million gallons of purified sea water, and they allow people to swim and interact with the dolphins.

Dolphinaris faced criticism before it even opened, with residents opposing dolphin captivity. A petition targeting the CEO argued the facility could cause stress-induced physical and psychological problems for these animals, and it expressed concern that the Arizona heat would negatively impact them.

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