PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. − Three relatively young dolphins have died at a Florida marine park in recent weeks, raising concerns among experts about conditions at the aquarium, which has been cited in past federal inspections for inadequate facilities.
Turk, 15, and Gus, 14, both bottlenose dolphins, died in early October, Gulf World Marine Park announced on Facebook. Park ownership separately confirmed the death of Nate, 20, also a bottlenose. Male bottlenose dolphins can live at least 40 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The deaths raised concerns among experts, including Valerie Greene, who spent 11 years as a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando, and later served as a chair at the International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association. She reached out to the Panama City News Herald, part of the USA TODAY Network, and said she knew Turk, Gus and Nate as babies from her time working at SeaWorld.
“The deaths of dolphins in rapid succession is deeply troubling,” Greene said. Former staff members at the park have reached out to her, too, she said, amid worries the facility is outdated and “has devolved into a roadside attraction in recent years.”
“It was built in 1969 and it shows,” Greene said. “The animal tanks are no bigger than hotel swimming pools, and they’re falling apart.”
She and a marine mammal veterinarian said the dolphins may have ingested airborne pathogens stirred up by nearby construction. Greene said the wall around the dolphin pools doesn’t provide adequate protection from debris, which can carry a deadly fungal pathogen. And she pointed to complaints about another park operated by the same company, the Miami Seaquarium, where a dolphin named Sundance died last December.
The Dolphin Company, which bought Gulf World Marine Park in 2015 and has three other marine parks in Florida – Dolphin Connection in Duck Key, Marineland in St Augustine and the Miami Seaquarium – is waiting on necropsies to determine what caused the deaths. Overall, the company runs 31 parks and dolphin habitats in eight countries.
Guillermo Sánchez Contreras, director of veterinary services and research at The Dolphin Company, said samples have been sent to independent labs and the results are still pending so he didn’t want to speculate about possible causes.
“As soon as the first case arose, all dolphins underwent extra veterinary checks, and additional preventive medical measures were immediately implemented,” Sánchez Contreras said. “At this time, no other members of our pod have shown any signs or symptoms of disease.”
Sánchez Contreras said there had been no immediate health concerns with the dolphins.
“Our team is grieving while we continue to provide the best care to the rest of our pod as we await answers that will help us to understand the causes of death for the ones that we have lost,” Sánchez Contreras said.
Inspections find crumbling concrete, dolphins lacking shade
The U.S. Department of Agriculture regularly inspects the park, which puts on dolphin shows and also has other exhibits. A report from July says the main sea lion stadium pool and back holding pools are in disrepair. The inspection report goes on to cite evidence of rust dripping into the show pool, paint chipping off walls and cracked, broken concrete on the stage where the dolphins are supposed to “slide out” during the show. The inspector notes that the cracks can cause skin abrasions to the dolphins.
The same USDA report said no shade is provided over multiple dolphin pools or over the main show stage where the dolphins often station for food. It says several of the dolphins, including Gus, Turk and Nate, were on daily eye medications, and their conditions could be attributed to the lack of shade and direct exposure to sunlight.
A separate USDA inspection of Gulf World in October 2023 said the eastern and western pools containing bottlenose dolphins had areas of exposed and cracked concrete in and around the pool. Animal care staff reported an incident in which a piece of concrete was found in the mouth of one of the animals but was removed before it could be ingested.
Sánchez Contreras said that USDA concerns with the park were addressed and that the park has provided new shading to its facilities.
Public records obtained from the city of Panama City Beach show the sea lion stadium and gift shop area were closed by a building inspector in January 2023 under an unsafe-structure ordinance for a “life-safety” concern. In a letter from Oct. 17 this year, the inspector suggested little progress had been made.
“The previous general manager periodically contacted us to inform us that Gulf World is taking steps to correct the issues,” Michael Kunst, a Panama City Beach building inspector, wrote in his letter. “I stopped by the park this year twice and found the shoring to be in a deteriorating state due to absorbing water in the plywood sheeting and some of the bottom lumber sitting in water.”
The letter also said the city has yet to receive a permit from the park to correct the problem. The park has until Dec. 17 to provide the city with engineering drawings and a permit application to avoid facing daily fines.
Deadly fungal pathogen released when soil is disturbed
Greene said she believes the most likely cause of death for the dolphins is the nearby construction. Land was cleared and ground broken recently on lots near the park. She said that although there is a wall around the pool, it isn’t enough to stop airborne debris from entering dolphin enclosures.
Dr. Jenna Wallace, a former marine mammal veterinarian for Miami Seaquarium and Dolphanaris Arizona, told the News Herald there’s a consensus among marine mammal veterinarians that construction poses a significant risk to the animals, specifically cetaceans.
“I strongly believe that the construction adjacent to the facility is possibly related to the deaths of these animals,” Wallace said. “Stopping all nearby construction and minimizing dust and dirt particles is the only way to prevent construction-related deaths. All dolphins are at risk with any nearby construction taking place, and there may be more loss of life in the near future.”
The contaminant Wallace is specifically concerned about at Gulf World is mucormycosis, a fungal pathogen that becomes airborne when soil is disturbed during construction. The park has seen dolphins die from the infection before. She said the treatment of choice costs more than $50,000.
Wallace also mentioned the cracked concrete in the USDA report that the dolphins “slide out” onto. The dust and dirt particles from the construction can carry fungal and bacterial pathogens into their water, making dolphins with an injury or laceration vulnerable to infections that can cause systemic illness or death.
Captivity controversy sparked anew after dolphin deaths
The response online has been mixed, with many expressing sympathy for the dolphin trainers and the park.
Some Facebook users mourned and shared their photos with the dolphins from past excursions. Others were angry with Gulf World over the deaths and raised concerns about conditions at the facility.
Marine mammal captivity is often a topic of controversy. Some say it can offer protection to endangered species, promote research and education, and provide unique experiences to visitors in an environment where the animals are cared for. Others say there’s no ethical justification for captivity because of the animals’ size, migratory patterns, intelligence and social needs.
“Regardless of the public debate surrounding captivity, it exists, and the animals and the people that work with them deserve better,” Greene said. “To honor Gus, Turk and Nate, we need to tell the truth about their deaths and hold their owners accountable as well as the government agencies that are supposed to protect them.”
The park website says all its marine animals are either rescued and found unsuitable for release or were born into human care. Gulf World Marine Park is a separate entity from Gulf World Marine Institute, a nonprofit that rescues, rehabilitates and releases marine mammals and sea turtles in the Florida Panhandle.
