VANCOUVER — The first beluga whale to be born in captivity in Canada has died at the Vancouver Aquarium.
The facility says 21-year-old Qila's sudden death this morning has left her mother Aurora adjusting to the change.
An aquarium spokeswoman says a necropsy was expected to be done today.
Qila was Aurora's first offspring in 1995, before two other calves came along though both of them have died.
Qila became a mother herself in June 2008, when she gave birth to a female calf named Tiqa, who died of pneumonia in 2011 at age three.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the average lifespan of a beluga is 15 years, with some animals reaching up to 50 years.
