Several belugas from Marineland have health issues, Chicago aquarium says

A Chicago aquarium, Shedd Aquarium, has reported that several belugas transferred from Ontario’s Marineland exhibit health issues. The aquarium is providing round-the-clock monitoring and observing the whales' hydration, breathing rates, movement patterns, social behavior, and other factors. This announcement comes after Shedd revealed that two of the three whales that died at its site within a week were belugas from Marineland, a theme park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which closed due to financial troubles.

Two belugas, Peekachu and Rain, died at Shedd after their relocation, along with a 34-year-old beluga, previously residing in Chicago. The Shedd Aquarium acknowledges uncertainties regarding the health of the remaining animals and is awaiting laboratory results to investigate the deaths. Some rescued belugas are showing encouraging signs, while others have clinical concerns, which fluctuate on a daily and hourly basis.

Belugas typically obtain most of their hydration from the fish they consume, and while some rescued whales are eating regularly, others are not. The Marineland belugas were deemed healthy just prior to their relocations. Marineland, currently up for sale, completed the largest collective transfer of captive whales globally, moving 30 belugas and four dolphins to five U.S. and Spanish aquariums over several weeks, effectively ending whale captivity in Canada.

Prior to the transfers, Marineland had threatened to euthanize the whales if an emergency cash infusion was not granted after the federal government blocked a prior plan to relocate the animals to China. Multiple whale deaths have been reported following relocations; in 2021, five whales died within a year of moving to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, with the third whale succumbing two years later. Marineland documented 19 beluga, one killer whale, and one dolphin deaths between 2019 and 2025.