An almost 40-year-old bottlenose dolphin at Discovery Cove has died, SeaWorld announced Thursday.

  • Jenny the dolphin arrived at Discovery Cove in 2000
  • She was estimated to be 38 years old
  • Jenny was diagnosed with oral cancer and was undergoing treatment

Representatives say Jenny was diagnosed 15 years ago with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and frenulum, which is a type of oral cancer. This particular type of cancer is found in wild dolphins as well as those at zoos.

She had been undergoing treatment, but recently, teams at the facility suspected the cancer had metastasized and spread to other parts of her body.  Last week, Jenny’s health rapidly declined, according to representatives. The decision was made to humanely euthanize her.

Jenny was estimated to be 38 years old, which is considered to be an older dolphin.

Jenny was the first dolphin to arrive at Discovery Cove in 2000. She was a regular during guest interactions at the park.

“Jenny loved attention, so when she wasn’t filling the role of ‘nanny’ with the pod and spending time with the calves, she was hanging out in the shallows looking for ways to interact and engage with guests,” said Kym, an assistant curator at Discovery Cove.

A full necropsy will be conducted to determine the case of her recent drastic decline in health.