The first beluga born was Tuaq in 1977, who died after three months from a soil bacterium, which also kills domestic animals. So not really anything particularly unique to the Aquarium.

(Side note, 18-year-old beluga Skana died in 1980, the longest-lived killer whale in an aquarium)

1988, Bjossa (killer whale) gives birth to a calf who dies later due to either Bjossa’s milk either being insufficient in quantity or not rich enough.

1991 Bjossa gives birth to another calf, named K’yosha, who was active and appeared healthy, until three weeks later when she was separated from her mother because Bjossa could no longer sustain feedings. The Aquarium attempted to hand-raise her, but she died in January, 1992 from a massive brain infection.

1995 Bjossa gives birth to her third calf, which dies less than 10 minutes after birth, because the umbilical cord broke before it was born.

1995 Aurora gives birth to Qila, who is still alive and healthy (and had her own calf called Tiqa recently)

2002 Tuvaq is born.

2005 Tuvaq suddenly dies. (hopefully no longer considered a newborn?)

2008 – Qila gives birth to Tiqa

June 7, 2009 (today!) – Aurora gives birth to her second calf, who is of yet unnamed.

So in total, only four of the whale calfs died at an age that would be considered newborn, while another passed away at 3 years. And the rest are all fine…Don’t know where that website got its information from but most of it appears faulty.

I think this is a great name for the whale.

http://www.dailyseagull.com/name-the-janitor-contest-at-capilano-suspension-bridge/

No one really knows what is normal survivability for whales. Researchers estimate that in the wild it is 50/50 for Orcas, and that is about all they know. No one knows what normal is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Canada#Legal_traditions