Beluga whales die at major US aquarium just weeks after Canada rescue

• Two beluga whales, 20-year-old Rain and 34-year-old Beethoven, died on Wednesday at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium.
• Rain was one of eight belugas rescued in August from the shuttered Marineland theme park in Canada, whereas Beethoven had lived at Shedd for over three decades.
• The deaths follow the unexpected loss of another rescued 22-year-old beluga, Peekachu, at the same facility on 25 August.
• Aquarium officials confirmed both deaths were unexpected, with necropsies and blood tests currently underway to establish the causes.
• The rescues were part of an international effort to relocate 30 belugas and four dolphins after Marineland in Ontario permanently closed in 2024.

IN FULL

Two beluga whales die at Chicago aquarium including one rescued from shuttered Canadian theme park