Chicago, Illinois: Shedd Aquarium Says Long-Term Hunger Weakened Two Rescued Belugas That Died

Shedd Aquarium in Chicago released new necropsy findings on Monday, Nov. 2 for two beluga whales rescued from Canada this summer, and the results point to long-term nutritional problems that left both animals weak long before they died. Osiris, a 26-year-old female, died on Sept. 21. Caspian, a 27-year-old female, died on Oct. 7. Both were among 10 belugas moved to Shedd from the closed Marineland park in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

What the examinations found

According to Shedd, both whales had depleted fat reserves and abnormalities in several internal organs. The aquarium said the pattern fits long-term nutritional and caloric deficiencies that weakened the whales and made it harder for them to recover from illness.

Osiris had been diagnosed with chronic liver disease before she died. Her examination found that her natural fat reserves were almost entirely gone, with abnormalities in her liver and adrenal glands. Veterinary experts also found changes that suggest reduced heart function may have affected blood flow to her internal organs. Shedd said Osiris had a history of inconsistent eating, which her previous caretakers at Marineland had shared with Shedd before the rescue, and that the full extent of her illness only became clear after her death.

Caspian showed a similar picture. Her examination found muscle loss, chronic intestinal inflammation and abnormalities in her liver and adrenal glands, along with acute inflammation and damage in part of her small intestine. Shedd said those findings, combined with the metabolic problems found in her blood before she died, may have contributed to her decline. The aquarium stressed that neither necropsy established a single, definitive cause of death.

A rescue that began with sick whales

Shedd was one of five aquariums that moved 30 belugas and four dolphins out of Marineland over six weeks this summer, after the park said it could no longer afford to care for them. Ten belugas came to Chicago. Four of them have died since the move: Peekachu, Rain, Osiris and Caspian.

Earlier necropsy reports on Peekachu and Rain found longstanding gastrointestinal inflammation that began before their rescue. Shedd said the rescued whales arrived with complex medical histories, including conditions that could not be fully identified before their transfer, and the new findings on Osiris and Caspian follow the same pattern of illness that predates Chicago.

The six that remain

Shedd said the six surviving rescued belugas, Acadia, Lillooet, Sierra, Secord, Gimli and Yukon, are making encouraging progress. All six are consistently eating their full daily diets and are spending more time together, taking part in enrichment activities and building relationships with their caretakers.

Veterinary teams are monitoring the whales around the clock, tracking nutrition, hydration, behavior and overall health. Shedd said the necropsy findings will help shape the ongoing treatment and care for the remaining whales.