Three Belugas Die in Eight Days at Shedd Aquarium
Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is investigating the deaths of three beluga whales over eight days, marking the first major crisis in an international effort to relocate animals from the closed Marineland park in Canada.
Rain, a 20-year-old female recently transferred from Marineland, and Beethoven, a 34-year-old male who had lived at Shedd since 1992, died on Sept. 2 despite immediate intervention by veterinary and animal care teams. Their deaths followed the Aug. 25 loss of Peekachu, a 23-year-old female beluga also brought to Chicago through the rescue program.
“Losing Beethoven and Rain so soon after Peekachu carries a profound weight for the people who knew and cared for them,” Shedd Aquarium said.
Beethoven was the oldest adult male in Shedd Aquarium’s beluga pod. At approximately 14 feet long and 1,900 pounds, he was also the aquarium’s second-largest beluga. He belonged to Shedd’s original pod of eight whales and had become familiar to millions of visitors during his more than three decades at the institution.
Rain had arrived in Chicago in mid-August as part of the Marineland relocation effort. She was among the whales receiving around-the-clock observation while adapting to a new habitat, water conditions, and social environment.
Peekachu had also arrived from Marineland in August. Care teams initially reported signs of progress after her transfer, but she later became severely dehydrated and died suddenly. Officials have not announced a cause of death.
Shedd Aquarium said necropsies, blood tests and additional examinations are underway. The institution has not determined whether the three deaths resulted from a shared cause or separate medical issues.
“At this time, it’s impossible to know if these passings are isolated or related,” the aquarium said.
The deaths occurred during an unprecedented international operation to relocate 30 beluga whales and four dolphins from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The park closed to the public in 2024 and later faced financial difficulties that jeopardized its ability to continue caring for the animals.
Canadian authorities rejected an initial proposal to send the whales to an aquarium in China. In July 2026, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued emergency authorization allowing 28 belugas to be transferred to accredited facilities in the United States. Two additional whales were assigned to Oceanogràfic Valencia in Spain.
The relocation began July 20 and was carried out in six stages. Belugas were assigned to Shedd Aquarium, SeaWorld facilities in San Antonio and San Diego, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, and the Spanish aquarium. The final group left Marineland on Aug. 31, with two of those whales headed to Shedd.
Shedd had been preparing to care for 10 rescued belugas in addition to its established pod. Following the deaths of Peekachu and Rain, eight whales from the Marineland group remain at the Chicago aquarium. Animal care and veterinary teams continue to monitor all belugas around the clock while awaiting test results, some of which could take several weeks or longer.
