Third beluga rescued from Canada dies in Chicago — Asharq Al-Awsat
In Chicago, United States, 26-year-old female beluga Osiris, which was transported this summer from the Marineland park in Ontario, Canada, has died at Shedd Aquarium. She is the third beluga to die at the aquarium after animals were transferred from the closed marine park, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
The aquarium said that Osiris had been under special veterinary supervision since her arrival. She ate less regularly than the other animals, making it difficult to maintain proper nutrition and hydration levels. On the morning of her death, caretakers noticed sudden changes in her behavior and breathing. The beluga was moved to a medical pool, but her condition rapidly deteriorated despite efforts to save her.
Transfer of animals from Marineland
Shedd Aquarium received 10 of the 30 belugas transported as part of an international operation to facilities in the United States and Spain, as well as four dolphins from Marineland. The Canadian government had previously approved an agreement to remove from the country the whales that remained at Marineland; according to the source, this spared them from euthanasia.
Marineland park and zoo in Niagara Falls announced it was for sale in early 2023 and closed to visitors in late summer 2024. Since 2019, 20 cetaceans have died there — 19 belugas and one orca — according to provincial government data and official statements.
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Special support slings and temperature-controlled containers were used to transport the rescued belugas. Shedd Aquarium representatives said that they reviewed the animals' medical records before transport and continuously monitored their condition after arrival.
Another death in Spain
In late August and early September, two more belugas — Pikachu and Rain — died at Shedd Aquarium; they had also been brought from Canada. At around the same time, another beluga that had lived at the Chicago aquarium for decades died.
Less than a week before Osiris's death, beluga Jelly Bean died at Oceanogràfic in Valencia, Spain — the fourth animal to die after relocation from Marineland. According to Oceanogràfic representative José Rafael Serra, the animal had feeding difficulties, prompting veterinarians to increase monitoring.
Shedd Aquarium notified the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of Osiris's death and will conduct necropsies on the animals. The facility must officially submit data on the names and causes of death of cetaceans within 30 days and promised to release the necropsy results after they are confirmed.
