The Region - News from May 7, 1987

A 15-foot beluga whale brought to Sea World from the Minnesota Zoo 11 days ago is suffering from a respiratory infection and is in “grave” condition, a spokeswoman for the San Diego marine park said. The whale, “Big Mouth,” was flown to San Diego April 26 for treatment of osteomyelitis, a possibly lethal bone disease in its flipper. His companion, a healthy female named “Little Girl,” accompanied him to San Diego so as not to break up the pair. Sea World spokeswoman Jackie Hill said it is possible Big Mouth had the respiratory infection before leaving Minnesota. She said the infection has “worsened in the last day or so . . . We are treating it with antibotics by injection . . . The veterinarians characterize his prognosis as grave. Beluga whales are a distinctive ivory white color and are Arctic relatives of the dolphin.