Shedd Aquarium mourns the death of three beluga whales in the space of a week

The Shedd Aquarium is mourning the loss of three beluga whales in a little more than a week, raising questions about the health of the animals and adding a heartbreaking chapter to an ambitious international rescue effort that saw two of the deceased whales relocated to the Chicago aquatic sanctuary just this summer.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the first death came last week when Peekachu, a 23-year-old female beluga, died on Wednesday, Aug. 26. She had arrived at Shedd only weeks earlier after being rescued from Marineland, a shuttered marine park in Ontario, Canada. Peekachu was partially blind in one eye and initially appeared to be adjusting to her new surroundings. She ate food from caretakers and interacted with staff, but she later became dehydrated and was not consistently eating. Despite veterinary treatment and efforts to rehydrate her, she died unexpectedly.

Then, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, Shedd announced the deaths of two more belugas: Beethoven and Rain. Beethoven, a 34-year-old male, had lived at the aquarium for more than three decades. He was the oldest adult male in Shedd’s resident pod and had become familiar to generations of visitors. Rain, a 20-year-old female, had arrived only several weeks earlier with Peekachu as part of the rescue effort from Marineland.

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The causes of Beethoven’s and Rain’s deaths have not yet been determined. Shedd Aquarium said in a statement that necropsies, blood tests and additional medical examinations are being conducted. Aquarium officials have emphasized that the deaths were unexpected and that investigators need to allow the evidence to guide their understanding of what happened. 

Per a previous Chicago Tribune report, Marineland Aquatic Center had shuttered its doors back in 2024, so with the clock ticking, the Canadian government approved the transfer of 30 beluga whales and four dolphins from the defunct park to several marinas, including Shedd Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, SeaWorld facilities, and Oceanogràfic Valencia in Spain. The complex relocation involved meticulous health monitoring and custom transport systems.

The deaths are particularly poignant and demonstrate just how challenging such relocations can be, particularly for wildlife already experiencing major changes in their environment and social groups.

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For Shedd’s staff, the losses are both professional and deeply personal. Beethoven represented decades of relationships between animals, caretakers and visitors, while Peekachu and Rain symbolized the hope behind the rescue mission. The remaining whales are being monitored closely as veterinarians work to understand the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The investigation will be important not only for Shedd but also for the broader rescue effort. Determining what happened to these whales could help experts improve care for the remaining rescued belugas and provide valuable information about the health challenges faced by animals undergoing major relocations. For now, however, the aquarium and the public are left to grieve three remarkable animals whose lives touched generations of people.