The Sept. 7 death of SeaWorld’s killer whale Sumar remains a mystery, researchers said. “Sumar arrived here in 2001,” said David Koontz, spokesman for SeaWorld San Diego. “He was previously at our SeaWorld Park in Ohio.” Sumar, 12-years-old when he died, was referred to as “the trainer’s whale.” Trainers arrive early in the morning and stay until late at night, especially in the summer months when the park closes at 11 p.m. The relationship between the trainers and the whales is very close, and for many the whale becomes a member of the family, Koontz said. “[Sumar] probably has trainers in the area 10-16 hours a day,” Koontz said. Each day at SeaWorld is different for the whales. They have everything from playtime to training time. Throughout the course of one day each killer whale eats between 140-240 pounds of food, he said. The training process at SeaWorld is based on positive reinforcement and if the whales do not perform for whatever reason, it is viewed as just an off day and there are no repercussions for the mammals, Koontz said. Trainers began noticing that Sumar looked lethargic on Sept. 6. “Veterinarians came over immediately to take a blood sample,” Koontz said. Then doctors administered antibiotics, but the whale did not respond to the treatment. “They were working with him for the better part of 24 hours,” Koontz said. Sumar’s illness prompted the cancellation of the 12:30 p.m. Shamu Show on Sept. 7, despite the park having six other healthy whales who could perform. Sumar died at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 7. The whales live in millions of gallons of water with no predators and no parasites. Their environments are hygienic, Koontz said. Koontz spoke with the veterinarians shortly after Sumar’s behavior change was noticed by trainers at which time the doctors did not think that Sumar’s condition presented anything that might be considered contagious or harmful to other whales. After his death, Sumar was transported to a pool in the back of the park which was drained of water so that doctors could begin a necropsy on the whale. “The goal is to determine what the cause of death is,” Koontz said. The necropsy will involve studying tissue, blood and organ samples. It will take weeks to obtain the results. “[Sumar] did not have a history of significant medical issues,” Koontz said.