SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - It was business as usual at Dolphinaris only a couple days after the marine park announced one of its dolphins died.
The dolphin aquatic park confirmed a 10-year-old dolphin, Alia, passed away on Wednesday. It is the second dolphin to die since the park opened less than two years ago.
A number of animal rights advocates have denounced the dolphin park, saying it is not how the mammals were meant to be housed or treated.
12 News was able to discover the park is inspected by the USDA and has had three random inspections in the past two years. The park has passed all three inspections. The focus of the inspection is on the animals, their enclosures and the food they eat.
The Phoenix Zoo and World Wildlife Zoo in the Valley are inspected by the same government entity. However, all three are accredited by different agencies.
The Phoenix Zoo is regulated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Wildlife Zoo is accredited by the Zoological Association of America. In both cases, the zoos opt in to being regulated, and there is a cost associated with the process.
Dolphinaris is accredited through the European Association of America and the Mexico Association of Habitats for Interaction and Protection of Marine Mammals.
At this time, it is unclear how the dolphin at Dolphinaris died. A necropsy is scheduled