One of the beluga whales transported from the now shuttered Marineland to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has died only weeks after arrival in the U.S.
Shedd Aquarium said Peekachu, a 23-year-old female beluga, died suddenly on Tuesday.
She arrived as part of a group of eight female whales and was considered “unique” by the aquarium due to being blind in one eye and was one of the smaller whales.
“Despite what could have been a limitation, Peekachu had little trouble socializing and finding her way around a new habitat,” Andrew Pulver, Shedd Aquarium’s vice-president of animal care, said in a statement.
Peekachu had also shown early progress as she lived at the aquarium, eating squid, herring and capelin from caretakers and checking out the care team from underwater windows as they monitored the rescued whales.
But things appeared to have taken a turn in recent days, with Pulver writing that Peekachu was not consistently eating her full diet. They got blood samples from the beluga on Tuesday, and upon analyzing them, there were concerns she was dehydrated and needed supportive care.
“On Tuesday evening, as teams worked to provide her with medicine and fluids, Peekachu passed away suddenly,” Pulver said.
He said they do not know specific answers at this time as to why she died, but a necropsy report will likely shed light on her overall health before she died and what might have led to it. Pulver said they will share the information as soon as it is available.
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Several whales have been transported in the past two months from Marineland to several aquariums in the U.S. and Spain, including Shedd, SeaWorld’s San Antonio location, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, and Oceanographic Valencia.
The transportation of the whales was part of a deal struck with an international group of marine parks, with U.S. authorities approving the “emergency rescue” earlier this month.
Relocation began in July when six began their journey to the U.S. More were transported in the weeks that followed, with two more taken on Wednesday alongside the last captive dolphins in Canada.
After Wednesday’s move, there will be only six belugas remaining in Marineland, which are soon set to head to an aquarium in the U.S.
Pulver said Wednesday that from the outset of the rescue, the aquarium recognized each animal would be “navigating a significant transition.”
“Their complete health picture, including conditions that may have developed over time, could only become clearer through ongoing assessment and care,” Pulver said. “We cannot emphasize enough that rescue is a step-by-step process for these whales, and that we truly are on a day-by-day basis in relation to their care and wellbeing.”
He paid tribute to Peekachu, saying their time was shorter than hoped, but she “made an immediate and lasting impression on all of us who had the chance to meet her.”
Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson called Peekachu’s death “difficult news,” but stressed she had the utmost confidence in Shedd Aquarium and the other facilities receiving the whales.
“This is a rescue operation, which gives these animals the best chance for survival,” she said in a statement.
She went on to thank those caring for the animals.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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