One of Shedd's whales ailing at Tacoma zoo

TACOMA, Wash. -- An 8-year-old beluga whale at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma is sick, and experts are trying to learn the cause.

General Curator Karen Goodrowe Beck says the beluga, Qannik, began losing interest in food on March 15. Veterinarians ran blood tests Monday and determined that the animal, one of the aquarium's top attractions, has an unspecified infection.

More tests are being made by local experts, a consultant from Sea World in San Diego and a veterinarian from the Shedd Aquarium, Qannik's original home in Chicago.

Meanwhile, workers at the zoo have been helping him swallow fish and are salmon oil for extra nutrition. Veterinarians also are making changes in the beluga's antibiotics and other medications and trying to reduce stress on the whale.