Sad news out of Coffs Harbour’s Dolphin Marine Conservation Park: beloved rescue dolphin, Calamity, has passed away.
She died during a procedure to treat a suspected cancerous carcinoma in her mouth, with a necropsy revealing the growths had spread to her lungs and lymph nodes.
At around 40 years old, Calamity was the marine sanctuary’s oldest cetacean and a long-time partner of the famous, Bucky, who passed away 10 months earlier.
She was saved twice after becoming entangled in fishing line and the second time, she was badly injured and deemed unreleasable.
She’s been living at the park ever since.
In-house vet Doctor Duan March said, “Advanced cancer, along with her age, meant that Calamity was unable to fight both the disease and the stresses of the operation.”
The park says Calamity will be greatly missed.