Dr Francois Lampen, Saambr’s clinical veterinarian, will conduct a full necropsy later this week to establish the exact cause of his death.
“My thoughts go out to all Saambr staff, both past and present, who have worked with and fallen in love with Kelpie,” said Saambr CEO Dr Larry Oellermann.
“We know too that his passing will bring sadness to the hearts of millions of people in all corners of the world who were inspired by this beloved gentle giant. It has been an honour and a privilege for all of us who shared Kelpie’s life.”
Kelpie was well known for mimicking one of Sea World’s safety alarms and alerting staff it was training time by singing to them.
He was the largest dolphin among the 10 housed there, weighing 380kg and measuring 3.7m in length.
In 2020 Ushaka Marine World lost Gambit, believed to be the largest bottlenose dolphin in any oceanarium in the world. His average weight was about 490kg and he was 3.65m long. In 2019 Gambit celebrated his 48th birthday and at the time of his death was one of the oldest dolphins to ever be documented. He was father to seven of the nine dolphins born at Sea World and grandfather to one.
TimesLIVE
Beloved uShaka dolphin Kelpie dies
Image: SUPPLIED
Kelpie, the oldest and largest male dolphin at uShaka Marine World in Durban, has died.
The South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) announced the dolphin’s death on Thursday morning. He turned 41 last month.
“Kelpie was an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, and the first dolphin to be born into the Sea World dolphin family when we were still based at the old aquarium on South Beach.
“Known for his enthusiasm and good nature, Kelpie has been a true conservation legend, helping more than 20-million people from all over Africa to connect with the ocean,” said Saambr in a statement.
“Kelpie has been on supportive geriatric care and treatment by our animal care specialists and veterinary teams for several months.
“His passing was not unexpected. Nevertheless, when the moment came early this morning, it brought a deep sense of loss to all.”
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Dr Francois Lampen, Saambr’s clinical veterinarian, will conduct a full necropsy later this week to establish the exact cause of his death.
“My thoughts go out to all Saambr staff, both past and present, who have worked with and fallen in love with Kelpie,” said Saambr CEO Dr Larry Oellermann.
“We know too that his passing will bring sadness to the hearts of millions of people in all corners of the world who were inspired by this beloved gentle giant. It has been an honour and a privilege for all of us who shared Kelpie’s life.”
Kelpie was well known for mimicking one of Sea World’s safety alarms and alerting staff it was training time by singing to them.
He was the largest dolphin among the 10 housed there, weighing 380kg and measuring 3.7m in length.
In 2020 Ushaka Marine World lost Gambit, believed to be the largest bottlenose dolphin in any oceanarium in the world. His average weight was about 490kg and he was 3.65m long. In 2019 Gambit celebrated his 48th birthday and at the time of his death was one of the oldest dolphins to ever be documented. He was father to seven of the nine dolphins born at Sea World and grandfather to one.
TimesLIVE
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