Beluga had numerous infections

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

photo This July 4, 2012, file photo, shows Dennis Christen of the Georgia Aquarium feeding a bottle to a baby beluga calf being rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. The baby beluga whale that was believed to be just two days old when it was found stranded after a storm near Naknek, Alaska, has died. A team of marine mammal experts provided the young whale with around-the-clock care at the Alaska SeaLife Center. But the center says that despite its best efforts, the whale died early Monday morning, July 9, 2012.

MARK THIESSEN, Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Necropsy results show the baby beluga whale rescued in Alaska last month had multiple infections, including in his heart and lungs.

Alaska SeaLife Center veterinarian Dr. Carrie Goertz says in an email to The Associated Press that early tests also confirmed suspicions that the whale's immune system wasn't fully developed.

The whale, estimated to be 2 days old when it was separated from its mother, was rescued in Alaska's Bristol Bay on June 18. He was taken to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, where it received around-the-clock care.

The whale's condition deteriorated over the weekend, and it died early Monday.