Multiple Beluga Deaths at Shedd Aquarium

In less than one month, four beluga whales have died at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois.

Three of the whales – Peekachu, Rain and Osiris – were among 10 belugas recently transferred to Shedd from the now-shuttered Marineland Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The fourth, Beethoven, was a longtime resident of the aquarium.

Peekachu arrived at Shedd on August 13. Twelve days later, on August 25, the 23-year-old female suddenly died. Bloodwork indicated possible dehydration, and she had demonstrated inconsistent eating patterns.

Nine days later, on September 3, 20-year-old Rain died. She was also part of the August 13 arrivals, and her death was described as unexpected. On that very same day, Beethoven, a 34-year-old captive-born male, also died.

Then, on September 21, Osiris died. The 26-year-old female had arrived at Shedd exactly two months earlier, on July 21.

At the time of this writing, the causes of death for the four belugas have not been announced.

Captive beluga whales at Marineland, Canada. Credit: Cynthia Fernandez/DolphinProject.org

Since 1992, at least 13 live-born beluga whales have died at Shedd Aquarium. And since 1998, seven beluga calves have been lost – three were stillborn, while four died between the day they were born and approximately one month of age.

In the case of Shedd’s most recent losses, the causes of death have not yet been released. But when multiple animals die in such a short period of time, answers need to be made public – and in as timely a manner as possible.

What was known about the condition of these whales before they were moved? Were they healthy enough to endure the journey? What role, if any, did the stress of transport and adjusting to yet another captive environment play?

These are questions that need answers, particularly with seven of the transferred belugas still at Shedd.

Sources used in this blog:
Ceta-Base
Shedd Aquarium (website and social media)

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Featured image: Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois. License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license; author: Teemu008