Three beluga whales have died of unclear causes at the Shedd Aquarium in the past several days, just weeks after the institution received several rescued whales.
The two most recent beluga deaths occurred Wednesday, the aquarium said.
One whale, a 20-year-old female named Rain, had been rescued weeks earlier from a shuttered Canadian aquatic park where dozens of now-rescued whales were living under allegedly poor conditions. The other, 34-year-old Beethoven, was part of Shedd’s resident beluga pod.
It’s unclear if their deaths were related, the Shedd said in a statement Thursday morning, about a week after another rescued beluga, Peekachu, also died of unknown causes.
“These losses are hard, made more difficult by the fact that it will take time to get concrete answers about what led to their passings,” the Shedd said in the statement.
The aquarium said it will perform tests to learn more about why the belugas died.
“Some answers may come quickly, while others may take more time to come into focus. Given how closely the public has followed the rescue effort, Shedd felt it was important to share this news now rather than wait for every answer,” the statement reads.
The Shedd said it was necessary to help rescue some of the 30 belugas that were struggling in the Marineland Canada aquatic park in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
In total, the Shedd was expected to rescue 10 belugas, adding to the eight that had already been living at the aquarium.
The Marineland park closed to the public in 2024. Marineland officials, citing extreme financial difficulties, had threatened to euthanize the whales if permanent homes couldn’t be found. For years, the park faced criticism that its animals were living in unsanitary conditions.
The Candian belugas “had nowhere else to go,” the Shedd said in its statement. “Shedd and accredited partners were asked to step in. Helping these animals in need is part of Shedd’s responsibility, and our commitment to these whales and their second chance remains unchanged. We appreciate the outpouring of support from so many others who are equally committed to animal welfare.
“Shedd will continue to closely monitor, evaluate and care for the entire beluga population around the clock in the days and weeks that follow,” the statement concluded.
Three belugas have now died at the Shedd in about a week for unknown reasons. Two of them were rescued from a shuttered Canadian aquatic park targeted by animal rights groups alleging the belugas lived in poor conditions.
Three belugas have now died at the Shedd in about a week for unknown reasons. Two of them were rescued from a shuttered Canadian aquatic park targeted by animal rights groups alleging the belugas lived in poor conditions.
