SeaWorld has announced that its youngest orca has died unexpectedly following an illness.
Announcing the news on the Facebook page of its San Diego theme park, officials wrote: "We come to you today with news of the passing of Amaya, a truly amazing orca and member of our SeaWorld family."
The post then contained a message from one of Amaya's animal care specialists, which read: "Amaya was a playful, fun-loving orca that always put smiles on people’s faces... She will be missed by our team and the guests that she inspired. Thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support."
The statement then concluded: "This is a very difficult time for those who knew and loved Amaya. She taught millions of guests to appreciate this amazing species. The specialists who cared for her at SeaWorld are heartbroken."
According to the official SeaWorld website, Amaya's name means "night rain", and she was the youngest orca (aka killer whale) at the San Diego park.
She was described as being "one of the most playful whales" in her pod, and loved to interact with her and animal care specialists.
"She has helped us gather and share critical information about calf development for researchers studying wild populations," Amaya's bio added.
NBC News reports that Amaya's cause of death will be determined following the results of a
post-mortem examination. The outlet adds that Amaya had been showing signs of illness since August 18, which led to veterinarians and animal care specialists treating her immediately.
A statement from the park to NBC adds that Amaya's death was "sudden and unexpected".
Since the sad news was shared with SeaWorld fans, many have commented on the post with their memories of Amaya.
One person wrote: "Our heart breaks for all the Seaworld family on the loss of sweet Amaya [...] we have wonderful memories playing through the glass in the underwater viewing with the cheeky playful Amaya during our 4 days visiting."
A second person commented: "This news breaks my heart. She was one of my favorites and I especially loved her being silly and playing with the ice enrichment in the viewing area. She was one of the animals I looked forward to seeing on our trips there. Sending everyone love that loved her."
Amaya's mother, Kalia, and father, Ulises, still reside at SeaWorld San Diego.
Our thoughts are with Amaya's specialists and fans at this time.