Beluga Caspian Dies at Shedd Aquarium

A 27-year-old beluga whale named Caspian, relocated from Marineland in Ontario, died at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium on Wednesday after her health deteriorated, the aquarium said. Her cause of death has not been established. Shedd said Caspian had been eating less than her full diet for several weeks, prompting concern about her hydration and nutrition. Her condition worsened Wednesday despite supportive care, and she was placed on life support for nearly four hours. Blood tests showed abnormalities in her electrolyte levels and pH, including dangerously acidic blood, the aquarium said. The findings indicated that she was critically ill but did not determine what caused her death. Caspian was the latest beluga from Marineland to die after the summer transfer of marine mammals from the closed Niagara Falls attraction. Reports also describe her as the fourth beluga rescued from Canada to die at Shedd. The broader count of six deaths following the relocation has a different scope in some accounts: one includes a longtime Shedd resident, Beethoven, who the aquarium said died of old age. The accounts therefore do not describe the same group of animals when giving those totals.