Las Vegas hotel attraction closed after dolphin deaths

A Las Vegas Strip hotel has temporarily closed its dolphin habitat after the third death of one of the attraction’s residents in the last five months.

K2, an 11-year-old bottlenose dolphin, died Saturday, a spokesperson for the Mirage Secret Garden and Habitat said.

A dolphin at the Mirage Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. (Shutterstock/)

The dolphin, which was born at the hotel, was being treated for a respiratory illness.

“All of us are heartbroken over this tragic loss, especially our amazing animal health and care teams who love and care for our animals on a daily basis,” the resort said in a statement.

“K2 was very vocal, energetic, loved his toys and was a joy to be around. He always made us smile.”

The Mirage Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. (Shutterstock/)

Two other dolphins died at the Mirage recently, as well. Maverick, a 19-year-old bottlenose dolphin, died Sept. 2 after a lung infection and Bella, a 13-year-old bottlenose dolphin, died from gastroenteritis in April.

Franz Kallao, Mirage’s interim president, said a cause of death was still being determined.

“We are working closely with veterinary and pathology experts to determine the cause of death,” Kallao said. “We are also working with additional outside veterinary, water quality, behavioral, animal welfare, and environmental experts to help us conduct a thorough review and inspection of both the animals and the facility.”

“I cannot stress enough that nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and welfare of the animals entrusted in our care. We are temporarily closing the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat to focus our efforts on ensuring that we have the safest possible environment and the best care possible for our dolphins and to give our team the time they need to process and grieve.”

With News Wire Services