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Necropsy Report Killer Whale (Orcinus-orca) Hugo Age 15 yrs — Miami Seaquarium, Miami, Florida

Name: Hugo (male) Species: Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Source: wild capture, February 1968, Vaughn Bay, WA, USA, age: est. 3yrs Deceased: 03-04-1980, Miami Seaquarium, age: est. 15 yrs Reported cause of death (per NMFS MMIR data): Aneurysm Cerebral Artery Necropsy info: Gross Diagnosis Tentative- Jesse R. White, DVM: Rupture of saccular aneurysm of one or morecerebral arteries. Additional information: It has been commonly reported that Hugo would regularly and intentionally smash his head against the sides of the pool. In the early 1970’s this resulted in a serious injury. From Kahana necropsy report (dec. 1991), Ruth Francis-Floyd, DVM, University of Florida: It is worth mentioning that there is precedent for self inflicted injury in captive killer whales. In the early 1970s a male killer whale housed in Miami hit an observation window with enough force to break the window, causing loss of a significant volume of water, and slicing off the end of his nose. The attending veterinarian for that incident was Dr. Jesse White. I have listed Dr. White's present address and phone number at the end of this letter should you wish to contact him with specific questions about that event. Details of Hugo’s injury and medical care by Jesse White, DVM was published in The Speculum, Vol. XXV, No. 2, Winter 1973, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University: Dr. White was summoned when Hugo battered a bubble window in his tank with his nose. After Hugo broke a nine-inch hole in the quarter-inch-thick plastic, he lifted his head, and the sharp plastic sheared off about an inch and a half of his nose, leaving a flap of skin about 3-1/2 inches in diameter hanging from the base of the nose by a tag of skin three-fourths of an inch wide.

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A copy of the full Speculum report is included with the documents that follow.

Hugo is lifted from the pool at Miami Seaquarium following his death. Notes: Prior to reforms of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1994, holders of marine mammals for public display were required to submit necropsy reports (animal autopsy reports) for deceased animals, making the documents available to the public and scientific community. Presently, marine mammal parks in the U.S. are only required to provide a “cause of death” to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) which maintains Marine Mammal Inventory Reports (MMIR). Details of marine mammal deaths are now a closely guarded secret at U.S. entertainment facilities. For more information visit www.theorcaproject.com Necropsy, Autopsy, Veterinarian, NOAA, NMFS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, MMIR, Marine Mammal Inventory Report, MMPA, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Killer Whale, Orca, Shamu, Death, Die, Miami Seaquarium, Hugo, Lolita

Gpecies Orcinus Orca 4 #. ~ r & n lo.

Narae "Hugon Date March 4 , 1980

I d e n t i f i c a t i o n 0.0-1 Mtdioal Record Ho.. 18

' Sex Male Area Whale Bowl

Age 15 Yeara Approximately Trainer E r i c Eimstad, Lou Roth

. .

Death 4 + . . Hirto.ry . On o r about January 2, 1980, t h e t r a i n e r s noted s l i g h t behaviora l d i f f e r e k e I

with Hugo. His d i e t was good b u t w a s no t i ced t o be thrashing about =re. He continued - -to*perf om- w e l l , with--al ight changes through the26 th of-Jan-uary.. _,He -was e a t i n g eating___

at t h e same tiare b u t war s luggish , He w a 8 s t a t e d on precaut ionary medication (ampic i l l i at t h i s t ime, and w a s not used i n shows. We a l s o increased h i s supplemental vi tamins a t t h i s t i m e , t h e t r a i n e r noted a g reen i sh c o l o r t o f aces on Febuary 1, and began t rea tment w i t h kaomycin f o r poss ib le i n t e s t i n a l prostens. Changed t o k e f l e x an t ib io t i c : on February 2, h i s food in take remained "normal" wi th on ly a few days under 100 U s through March 1st. 135 (normal s m t . ) on March 2-3, and found dead March 4. No outward i n d i c a t i o n of s e r i o u s i l l n e s s t o j u s t i f y a d d i t i o n a l s t r e s s of d i a g n o s t i c work..frorn onse t of behaviora l chanqes through March 4.

ucisht ~ s t i m a t e d 10,000 Lbs. + - General A P P ~ ~ ~ ~ I C O No outward, e x t e r n a l l e s i o n s o r abrasions.

Cross B e c r o ~ s y Piadfnga httrnal General Colour good a l l s k i n s u r f a c e s nonnal

Organr of Special Genre Eyes normal, Grossly-removed for f u r t h e r s tudy - tonque surgace had s e v e r a l long s tanding p a p i l l a e - t h e s e were p r e s e n t f o r past 10 years unremrkable.

Rerpirrtary mtsa Pending microscopic e x m i n a t i o n - ~ r o s s ' examinat'fon revealed- a walled o f f a r e a of necrouia, 3-4 x 3.5 an, of the left lung. The lower, =re branched bronchioles OF the left lung contained a congealed blood clot that was .

5 t o 20 aa i n length. TNr break-dawn of vascu la r integument appeared t o b e confined t o approximately nors t i s ta l p o r t i o n s of t h e l e f t lung. The r i g h t , lung was unremarkable. Microsoopic examination concentra te on vaacular i n t e g r i t y wi th in lurg-t is_sue. Poss ib le t h o r a c i c aneurysm. no g r o s s s i g n of a c u t e r e s p i r a t o r y i n f l a - mation s l c g h t , not abnormal, f r o t h i n t r aches .

nusculoskeletal System Unremarkable - Grossly .

.r ~ U ~ ~ O P ~ I I C U ~ ~ U m m Heart va lves and muscles appear normal - poss ib le - t h o r a c i c and c e r e b r a l aneurysms.

H d c and Lynwhatlc -term Obvious ext ravascular blood i n t i s s u e s of lowe lobes of l e f t lung.

D igc s t i~e 8ystem Mocosa of stomachs and i n t e s t i n a l t r a c t i n t a c t . No u lec ra t ions no p a r a s i t e s (Macro) Liver was g r o s s l y swollen - no s ign of inflammation process however.

Urinsry System unremarkable

Genital Syetcm weighed and measured - unremarkable

Endocrine System spleen appeared normal i n s i z e , sane p o s t mortem changes, otherwise endocrine system w a s unremarkable gross ly .

l'ferpaue Syaten Obvious breakdown of blood wessel i n t e g r i t y o r poss ib le aneurysm rup tu re wi th in r i g h t cerebrum and ven t r i cu l - blood clot i n b r a i n t i s s u e of r i g h t co r t ex - 3 - 5 cm i n diameter. C lo t t ed blood a l s o adjacent - t o area of Medulla oblongata. Pending f u r t h e r microscopic study.

Other : -

Tinsi:cc Talcen Representat ive samples taken of a l l t i s s u e s f o r s tudy.

Laboratory :

Microbiology Blood Chclaistrf - Other

Post mortem l i m i t a t i o n s prevai led . - Cross Diagnoaia Tenta t ive - Rupture of s a c c u l a r aneurysm qf one o r more ce rebra l

- Roaectar m \

Florida Vet Does A Nose Job on A 2-Ton Patient

Dr. Jesse White, resident veterinarian for the Miami Seaquarium, made veterinary history when he performed a nose job on Hugo, the Seaquarium's 4,200 pound killer whale.

Dr. White w a s summoned when Hugo battered a bubble window in his tank with his nose. After Hugo broke a nine-inch hole in the quarter-inch-thick plastic, he lifted his head, and the sharp plastic sheared off about an inch and a half of his nose, leaving a flap of skin about 3% inches in diameter hanging from the base of the nose by a tag of skin three-fourths of an inch wide.

T h e wate r level in the tank w a s dropped immedi- ately to immobilize the whale, and an hour and a half after the accident, Dr. White began surgery.

T h e flap of nose skin w a s put back in place and held there with 40 sti tches. Dr. White used the skin a s "a big band-aid" to prevent infection and stimulate healing from the inside.

Hugo is a performing killer whale, like Shamu, above. the pride of Sea World in Aurora, Ohio. Hugo and Shamu are two of 19

killer whales in captivity now.

No sedation w a s used. The nose of a killer whale has few nerves, and Dr. White explained that it is connective t issue s o tough that it could not be in- filtrated with pain killer to deaden a n y possible sensitivity.

After surgery, the whale w a s given a massive dose of 24 million uni ts of penicillin and an equal dose of streptomycin. Hugo also got an injection of Buta- zolidin to reduce inflammation and swelling. The sho ts were continued every d a y for five days .

A s Dr. White anticipated, the nose f lap sloughed off in a week, and the s t i tches were removed, re- vealing that healing had s tar ted from the inside. A bacterial agent, a mixture of lanolin and gentian violet w a s applied to the nose several times a d a y with a long brush.

Dr. White expected Hugo's nose to heal, leaving a gray-white scar. But six months af ter the accident, Hugo's nose had regenerated glossy black, in the streamlined hydrodynamic nose shape. The only indications of the disaster were t iny markings from the sti tches and a slight dimple a t the very t ip of the nose.

Dr. White broke important ground in marine mammal veterinary medicine with his treatment of Hugo. Only 19 killer wha tes are in captivity today, and total of 26 have been captured and observed since 1964. (The full s tory of Hugo's treatment appeared in the Spring, 1971 issue of the Norden News.]

(Dual Study cont. from page 8)

Betty Jean Harper , a senior Veterinary s tudent en- rolled in the program plans to enter a practice after graduation. Her graduate training will benefit cli- ents and she plans to continue her research in- terests in reproductive physiology on a limited scale a s time and conditions permit. A s her husband is a graduate s tudent in Zoology and Animal Behavior at the University of Michigan, s h e hopes that they will be able to work together on research projects. Betty does not feel that the dua l program i s too much harder, but admi t s she loses some lunch hours and evenings to extra classes and a lot of free time to studying. Since s h e has been separated from her husband by their respective schooling, the addi- tional work is less of a burden. For her senior elec- tives she has decided not to repeat the clinical sections a n d is taking a series of courses and semi- nars toward her graduate degree. Her schedule in- cludes a special s tudies course in radio-immune assay techniques under Dr. Richard Ray in the Vet- erinary Clinical Sciences Department and Dr. W. R. Gomes of Dairy Sciences; Veterinary Endocrinology; Laboratory Animal Medicine; a zoology project under Dr. Peterle of the Department of Zoology; Pharmacology seminar ; and a course on technical papers and thesis writings which s h e i s auditing.

The dual profess ional~graduate program can provide a valuable opportunity for the student desiring advanced degree training to gain a head s tar t while completing the professional curriculum, but he o r she must be willing to accept the hard- ships and sacrifices of the increased workload. The value of this type of program to the Veterinary pro- fession will be determined by t h e growing demand for specialized services. I f present t rends toward longer and more specialized practices continue, pro- grams like this one will also grow.

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