by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 6:32 PM ET, Wed February 6, 2019
A Phoenix-area facility is temporarily closing after the death of a fourth dolphin in its care.
The Associated Press has reported that the closure of Dolphinaris Arizona began on Friday and there are no immediate plans for reopening.
The voluntary closure of the Arizona facility comes after a 22-year-old dolphin on loan to Dolphinaris Arizona died last Thursday, the latest in a string of premature dolphin deaths.
An 11-year-old dolphin died in December at the facility from what was said to be a chronic illness due to a parasite called Sarcocystis. The dolphin suffered from the illness for six years, according to AP.
Prior to that, in May 2018, a 10-year-old dolphin at Dolphinaris died from a bacterial infection, an event which followed on the heels of the 2017 death of a seven-year-old dolphin at the facility, which had a muscle disease.
The 22-year-old dolphin that died last week was on loan to the facility from Dolphin Quest, an organization that has since canceled its contract with Dolphinaris.
Two of the facility's four remaining dolphins are being returned to Dolphin Quest. The other two will be moved to another licensed facility.
More than 100 protesters gathered outside Dolphinaris on Saturday, calling for its closure, after hearing of the latest dolphin death.
The company has since said in a statement that an investigative panel, which will include veterinarians, pathologists, water quality experts and animal behavior specialists, will be convened to assess its operations. The company said its goal is to find a "long-term solution for the welfare of its dolphins."
Dolphinaris, which opened in October 2016, has additional sites in Mexico. Dolphin Quest operates locations in Hawaii and Bermuda.
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