Science & Nature

Rescued Beluga Peekachu Has Died, Shedd Aquarium Announces

Peekachu, one of eight beluga whales transferred to Shedd Aquarium this summer from a shuttered Canadian water park, has died, aquarium officials announced Wednesday.

The 23-year-old female whale was part of a second group of four whales that arrived at Shedd in mid-August, following a pod of four who came to Shedd in late July. 

“Peekachu was unique,” Andrew Pulver, Shedd’s vice president of animal care, said in a statement. “She was blind in one eye and one of the smaller (rescued) whales. Despite what could have been a limitation, Peekachu had little trouble socializing and finding her way around a new habitat.”

All of the newcomers have been under 24/7 monitoring behind the scenes at Shedd. Initially, Peekachu seemed to be adjusting well but caretakers noted she was not consistently eating her full diet. Blood tests taken Tuesday indicated she was dehydrated and “needed supportive care,” Pulver said. 

As staff provided Peekachu with fluids and medicines, she suddenly died, he said.

A necropsy has been conducted along with additional test to help determine the beluga’s cause of death.

“Losing any animal is immensely difficult. From the outset of this rescue, we understood each animal would be navigating a significant transition and that their complete health picture, including conditions that may have developed over time, could only become clearer through ongoing assessment and care,” Pulver said.

In early July, Shedd announced it was one of five institutions taking part in the rescue of 30 beluga whales from the defunct Marineland park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which has been closed to the public since 2024.

At one point, Marineland planned to send the belugas to China, a plan that was blocked by Canadian authorities, leading the park to threaten to euthanize the whales.

Other facilities participating in the rescue include Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld San Antonio and SeaWorld San Diego in the U.S., along with Oceanografic Valencia in Spain. Shedd has a long history of caring for belugas, which make their home in the aquarium’s 3-million-gallon Abbott Oceanarium.

The transfer has been occurring in stages.

The first four female belugas to arrive at Shedd were Acadia, Osiris, Sierra and Lillooet. They were followed by Peekachu, Caspian, Secord and Rain, all females.

Animal rights advocates in Canada previously raised concerns that some, if not all, of the whales may be in poor health and the shock of being moved could be more than the belugas can withstand. Animal Justice, Canada’s national animal law organization, said it feared that if weakened animals were exported, they could become seriously ill or even die as a result. 

In an interview with WTTW News, Dr. Karina Tang, Shedd’s head of veterinary care, said she was aware of opposition to the rescue operation, particularly from activists who wanted the whales sent to a marine sanctuary instead of aquariums.

No such sanctuary currently exists, Tang said.

“There is no sea pen that can provide the same level of care at this moment,” she said.

And as for releasing the belugas into the wild, Tang said it wasn’t an option.

“It has not happened successfully,” she said. “These animals have been living a certain life for the past decades. Understanding what they would even need to make that happen is gargantuan.”

The team at Shedd remains “guarded but hopeful” about the future of the remaining rescued belugas, which remain under round-the-clock monitoring, officials said.

“We cannot emphasize enough that rescue is a step-by-step process for these whales, and that we truly are on a day-by-day basis in relation to their care and wellbeing,” Pulver said.

Knowing a loss was possible doesn’t make it any less painful, aquarium officials said. 

“We hoped deeply for more time with Peekachu,” a spokesperson said. 

Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]

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