Rescued Pilot Whale Dies At SeaWorld San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CA — A short-finned pilot whale that was rescued a decade ago died at SeaWorld San Diego, the theme park announced Monday.

SeaWorld did not detail the circumstances of the whale's death. A necropsy will determine his cause of death, SeaWorld said.

SeaWorld Orlando rescued the pilot whale named Ace and several other juvenile whales in 2012. They were the only animals deemed candidates for rehabilitation in a mass stranding of 22 pilot whales near Fort Pierce, Florida, according to SeaWorld.

U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service officials determined the animals were dependent calves that could not survive in the wild and deemed them nonreleasable after they were rehabilitated at SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave SeaWorld custody of the animals for long-term care and support. Ace was later transferred to SeaWorld San Diego in 2019, along with two other companion whales.

"Thank you for giving him and his podmates a second chance at life," a commenter identified as Lisa Davidson posted on SeaWorld San Diego's Facebook announcement. "I was fortunate enough to visit with them both in Orlando and San Diego and learned so much about pilot whales and marine mammal strandings from following their stories."

Over the years, SeaWorld used Ace and the other pilot whales from the 2012 stranding for research that the company said benefited the species and aided biologists for NOAA. The studies helped researchers better understand body mass, digestive health and hearing for the species, according to SeaWorld.

Data gathered through the care of the pilot whales was used to compare and monitor visual body conditions in free-ranging animals through drone photographic and photography measurements, a specialized technique used by NOAA biologists, SeaWorld said.

"As an accredited zoological facility and one of the largest marine animal rescue organizations in the world, we were privileged to play a role in giving Ace a second chance at life and to provide expert care for him for all of these years," said Dr. Chris Dold, chief zoological officer of SeaWorld.

"Additionally, the knowledge gained from caring for him has directly informed the ability for SeaWorld and other marine mammal rescue organizations to successfully rescue and rehabilitate other pilot whales in distress and helped make it possible for us to return rehabilitated pilot whales back to their environment whenever possible."