CLEARWATER, Fla. — The staff at Clearwater Marine Aquarium is mourning the sudden death of one of its beloved rescue dolphins.
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of resident rough-toothed dolphin, Rex," CMA wrote in a social media post on Tuesday.
The aquarium said Rex was not only loved by the CMA family but by guests from around the world since his rescue from St. George Island three years ago.
Rex came to CMA in 2020 with a series of health issues. After veterinarians and research teams discovered he had "significant hearing loss," he was deemed non-releasable and would spend the remainder of his life with the aquarium's care team.
CMA explained that after Rex's health remained stable for several years, staff noticed a change in the dolphin's behavior last week, including a decline in eating.
"When his condition worsened, animal care staff intervened to monitor him 24 hours a day and provide Rex care to keep him comfortable," the team wrote. "Despite extensive efforts, Rex passed away on March 6."
A necropsy, or animal autopsy, will be performed to determine his exact cause of death.
Rex was estimated to be 8 years old. He spent much of his time at CMA playing with his partner Rudolph, another young rough-toothed dolphin with similar hearing-loss issues.
News of Rex's passing comes after another one of CMA's beloved dolphins, Hemingway, died in January.
Originally found stranded off Fiesta Key in 2019, Hemingway was estimated to be about 37 years old.