By Agnel Philip | Arizona Republic
Bottlenose dolphins at Dolphinaris Arizona died at one of the highest rates ever recorded at a U.S. facility exhibiting the marine mammals, according to an analysis of federal agency data.
The Scottsdale-area attraction came under intense public scrutiny after four of its eight dolphins died during the two years it was in operation. The facility no longer houses animals.
Dolphinaris’ death rate was more than four times the combined rate of all U.S. facilities and more than double the deadliest still-operating dolphin facility in the nation, according to an Arizona Republic analysis of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s National Inventory of Marine Mammals.
