Fourth Rescued Beluga Whale Dies in Chicago

A fourth beluga whale rescued from Marineland has died at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. Caspian, a 27-year-old female, had been among the whales of greatest clinical concern since her arrival in August. Shedd officials reported she was not eating sufficiently to meet her nutritional and hydration needs. Despite extensive efforts by veterinary and animal care teams to sustain her on life support, Caspian did not recover.

A necropsy is scheduled for Caspian to determine the precise cause of her death. In previous necropsies of other rescued belugas, chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal disease was found. Foreign objects, including bird feathers and rocks, were discovered in one whale's stomach, suggesting pre-existing conditions from her time at Marineland.

Ten belugas were transferred from Marineland to Shedd Aquarium this past summer. Caspian, Rain, Peekachu, and Osiris are the four rescued belugas who have since died. A fifth beluga, long-time Shedd resident Beethoven, also died in September, though his death is not believed to be connected to the rescued whales. Six rescued belugas remain under close monitoring at Shedd.