Preliminary medical findings released Friday are pointing to chronic gastrointestinal disease as a contributing factor in the deaths of two rescued beluga whales at Shedd Aquarium.

Shedd Aquarium shared the disheartening news of another death among the beluga whales it rescued this summer from a defunct marine park in Canada.

The medical and animal care staff at Shedd Aquarium have been on an emotional rollercoaster the past few months as the institution participated in an unprecedented rescue of 10 beluga whales.

A researcher at Shedd Aquarium tracked a single bluegill traveling nearly 7.5 miles in a single day, or the equivalent of a 52-mile swim for a human.

“At this time, it is impossible to know if these passings are isolated or related,” Shedd said in a statement.

The last beluga whales remaining at a defunct marine park in Canada are now on their way to new homes in the U.S. A pair arrived at Shedd Aquarium on Tuesday morning.

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.

The belugas are the latest to be rescued from Marineland, a shuttered theme park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which closed to the public in 2024. Last month, a first group of four beluga whales arrived at Shedd Aquarium.

Barely a week after four beluga whales were transferred from Marineland, a defunct Canadian water park, to Shedd Aquarium, the newcomers have already made an impression on their caretakers.

A complicated, high-stakes rescue of 30 beluga whales from a defunct Canadian water park is underway, with four of them arriving Tuesday at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.

An unprecedented international rescue effort is underway to find new homes for some 30 beluga whales. Shedd Aquarium is answering the call.

“This little fish is truly one in a million,” said Jenny Richards, senior aquarist at Shedd Aquarium.

With an extreme cold warning in effect and actual air temperatures below zero in Chicago on Friday morning, several of the city's major cultural institutions have announced closures to the public.

Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

The Chicago River has proven itself fit for swimming. But what about raising a family? No one’s ever tallied the number of larval fish in the waterway, until now.

63rd Street Beach sees heavy recreational use while also managing to support diverse wildlife.