Two more beluga whales have died at the Marineland tourist attraction in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
That brings the total number of whale deaths to 17 since 2019.
Ontario's Animal Welfare Services has been investigating Marineland since 2020.
The provincial ministry responsible for animal welfare says it was made aware that two beluga whales at Marineland passed away this month.
The Ministry of the Solicitor General did not say how the whales died.
Marineland says independent necropsies confirmed the whales died of torsion, or an abnormal twisting of the stomach, after what it called ``valiant medical efforts to assist them.''
It says all of its whales are under constant weekly supervision and oversight by a government regulator and are cared for daily by in-house vets and numerous external consultants.
Marineland says -- quote -- ``The reality is that all animals eventually die from one cause or another whether in the wild or captivity.''