Three Beluga Whales Die at Shedd Aquarium After Rescue

Three beluga whales at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium have died in the past week, including two that were recently rescued from a closed Canadian marine park, officials said. The deaths have cast a shadow over an unprecedented international effort to relocate 30 belugas from the shuttered Marineland of Canada. The aquarium confirmed that Rain, a 20-year-old female rescued beluga, and Beethoven, a 34-year-old male who was part of Shedd's resident pod, died on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. Their deaths came just eight days after Peekachu, a 23-year-old female rescued beluga, died suddenly on August 26, 2026. Necropsies, blood tests, and additional exams are underway to determine the causes of death, and officials said it is not yet known if the passings are isolated or related. "These losses are hard, made more difficult by the fact that it will take time to get concrete answers about what led to their passings," the aquarium said in a statement. "Given how closely the public has followed the rescue effort, Shedd felt it was important to share this news now rather than wait for every answer.