Science | beluga whale Stray Penny, Pebbles Kill Baby Whale Nala's airway became blocked at Vancouver Aquarium By Nick McMaster Posted Jun 23, 2010 5:34 PM CDT Copied In this 2009 file photo, Vancouver Aquarium's baby beluga whale, Nala, and her mother, Aurora, swim. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward, File) Sad news from the Vancouver Aquarium: A baby beluga whale is dead after her airway became blocked by a buildup of debris including pebbles and a penny. The stones are part of the aquarium, but it's unclear how the penny got in there and why Nala wasn't able to expel it. A congenital defect is one possibility. "A very, very strange finding, one that we certainly did not suspect," said an aquarium vet. "Obviously the penny is a little concerning and we are going to try to figure out where that came from." The CBC and Vancouver Sun have more details about Nala, who is the second beluga to die at the aquarium in 5 years. Read These Next Another big brand delivers an AI-driven holiday dud. Venezuela responds to the US seizure of an oil tanker. Hours after Michigan fired its football coach, he was in jail. One donor, 197 kids, and a terrible genetic mutation. Report an error