A Chicago aquarium says several of the belugas that were transferred to its site from Ontario’s Marineland have health issues.
Shedd Aquarium says in a Friday statement it is conducting round-the-clock supervision and teams are monitoring the whales’ hydration, breathing rates, swim patterns, social interaction and other behaviours.
The aquarium’s update comes after it reported last week that two of the three whales that died at its site in a week’s span were belugas from Marineland, a theme park in Niagara Falls, Ont., that closed after it ran out of money.
Shedd has said that Peekachu, one of the Marineland belugas, died on Aug. 25 at its site two weeks after being relocated.
A 20-year-old beluga named Rain, that was moved from Marineland to the Chicago park in mid-August, also died, as well as a 34-year-old beluga that had lived for decades in Chicago.
Amid the spate of deaths, the Shedd Aquarium says there is still uncertainty surrounding the health of the remaining animals and it is awaiting lab results as the park investigates the deaths.
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“Some of the rescued belugas are showing more encouraging signs than others, but several have presented clinical concerns,” Shedd wrote in the statement Friday. “Their condition can change from day to day and, at times, hour to hour.”
The aquarium said belugas get most of their hydration through the fish they eat and while some of the rescued whales are eating regularly, others are not.
As a whole, Shedd said none of the belugas are “where we want them to be from a health standpoint.”
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The Marineland belugas were given a clean bill of health in the days before their relocations, with Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson responsible for giving the final approval.
Marineland, which is now up for sale, completed the largest collective move of captive whales the world has ever seen last week, shipping 30 belugas and four dolphins to five aquariums in the United States and Spain over several weeks.
The final move last week brought an end to whale captivity in Canada.
Before their transfers, Marineland threatened to euthanize them if it did not get an emergency cash infusion after the federal government blocked an earlier plan to move the whales to China.
Multiple whales have died after being relocated.
In 2021, Marineland moved five whales to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.
Two of those whales died within a year of the move and the third died two years after the transfer. Mystic said the whales had pre-existing conditions while Marineland said they were healthy when they left.
Nineteen belugas, one killer whale and one dolphin died at Marineland between 2019 and 2025.
— with files from Liam Casey
I’d give up and die to if someone told me I had to live in a bathtub the rest of my life.
Sadly the ones moved will be bred. So the cruelty continues.
Who inspected those creatures and gave them a clean bill of health ? Who is to be held accountable ? Canadian food inspection agency or fisheries and oceans Canada. There seems to be a huge problem here if this article is true.
This whole thing reeks of corruption. The Holer’s had two sons, one died in 2013, but the other, Peter Holer, is technically the sole owner of the family estate. He should’ve had to pay for this because you could argue the whole family benefitted greatly from the abuse of these animals. FOLLOW THE MONEY!
“Beautiful girls are waiting to meet you—come join the fun! 💕” …………………> da.gd/girls66
I remember on my honeymoon 30 yrs ago, the animals were always in poor health then, so no surprise
Rest In Peace Sweet Angels :( :(
It is Trump’s fault they are dying!!
I went to Marineland for one of the last shows, and the staff told me there are many trans-beluga’s and they would not be getting free gender affirming care in the USA because Trump and DOGE cut the “Marine trans-mammal gender care” that Biden started.
I am gender fluid and identify as a trans-woman and cat and sometimes during the call to prayer I put on a goat suit and go to a mosque but that trip to marineland really made me into a trans-whale.
It is so sad they are dying because Trump.