Sharky Tribute

An unfortunate accident occurred during the weekend at a SeaWorld sister park as two dolphins collided in midair. The impact killed one of the dolphins at the Orlando, Florida, amusement park, The Associated Press reported.

The dolphins leaped out of the water during a guest interaction program, but slammed into each other in the air. The approximately 32 people who visited the lagoon on Saturday afternoon, where shocked when they found that Sharky, a 30-year-old dolphin, died.

The incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The dolphins were in the center of the lagoon and not near guests, according to Bides. Visitors were gathered along the perimeter of the lagoon about 50 feet away when the dolphins collided in the center.

Apparently, the other dolphin (Tyler) wasn’t injured, said Discovery Cove spokeswoman Becca Bides on Monday. However, the animal is being monitored and under strict supervision from veterinarians.

"This is a very unfortunate and very rare incident," Bides said.

"While it is not unusual to have two animals performing aerial behaviors at the same time, we are reviewing the situation to ensure even such a random incident does not occur again," she added.

This is the first time when a dolphin dies in the park’s eight years history. The Discovery Cove water park is located across from SeaWorld. Its visitors have the opportunity to swim with dolphins, rays and tropical fish.

A necropsy was performed Sunday on Sharky and the exact cause of death will be revealed over the next few days.