Science & Nature
3rd Rescued Beluga Dies at Shedd Aquarium. Remaining Whales’ Outcomes Are ‘Day by Day, Hour by Hour’
Shedd Aquarium on Monday shared the disheartening news of another death among the beluga whales it rescued this summer from a defunct marine park in Canada.
Twenty-six-year-old Osiris had been under close observation by Shedd’s medical and animal care teams since she arrived at the aquarium in late July, one of the first group of four females transferred from the shuttered Marineland park.
“Each rescued beluga came to Shedd with a distinct life history and health needs that could not be fully understood before their arrival,” Shedd said in a statement. “Osiris was not as consistent an eater as some of the other whales, making it more challenging to ensure she received the calories, nutrients, and electrolytes she needed each day.”
Interventions appeared to be working, as the beluga’s appetite improved and she engaged more with her fellow rescued whales, officials said.
Late last week, when WTTW News spoke with Dr. Karisa Tang, lead veterinarian and vice president of animal health at Shedd, Osiris had been doing better.
Despite encouraging signs, on Monday morning, staff observed sudden changes in Osiris’ behavior and respiratory patterns. She was moved to the aquarium’s medical habitat but her condition deteriorated rapidly, Shedd said.
Read More: ‘We Have Months Before We Take a Breath,’ Shedd Vet Says as Rescued Belugas Remain on 24/7 Watch
From the outset of the rescue effort, in which five institutions came together to take in Marineland’s 30 belugas, Tang emphasized the risks involved.
“Every individual is on their own path,” she told WTTW News last week. “We have some animals that are eating really well, and some animals that are just taking a little bit longer to adjust, and that answer may change day by day.”
“When we say day by day, hour by hour, we truly mean that,” Tang said. “They’re all on a different path. Some animals are very quick to settle into new transitions, but this is a very large transition for everybody.”
Osiris’ death is the third among the 10 belugas Shedd rescued from Marineland. Staff are mourning the losses of Peekachu and Rain, who arrived in August, as well as Beethoven, a longtime member of Shedd’s resident beluga pod.
The causes of death are still unknown, with Shedd awaiting the results of necropsies.
A fourth Marineland beluga, Jelly Bean, died last week at Spain’s Oceanogràfic Valencia.
“When Shedd was asked to help with this rescue, we understood that these animals arrived with significant vulnerabilities and that the outcome for every individual could not be guaranteed,” the aquarium said in its statement. “That uncertainty does not lessen the heartbreak of Osiris’ loss, or our responsibility to examine it with scientific rigor and open-hearted transparency.”
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
