SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - A third dolphin has died at an Arizona aquatic facility.
Officials at Dolphinaris Arizona, near Scottsdale, say in a statement posted Monday to its website and Facebook page that an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin died Sunday after a chronic illness.
The dolphin, named Khloe, was 11 years old.
Facility General Manager Christian Schaeffer called the death "an extremely sad day" for the facility and its staff.
The facility opened in October 2016 with eight bottlenose dolphins. Khloe is the third dolphin to die since.
Facility officials say Bodie, a 7-year-old bottlenose dolphin, died Sept. 23, 2017, from a rare muscle disease. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a report that said Bodie died of a fungal infection.
Alia, a 10-year-old bottlenose dolphin, died May 22, 2018, of an acute bacterial infections that officials say "spread quickly throughout her body."
