Peekachu, a beluga whale rescued from Canada, dies at Chicago aquarium

Peekachu, a 23-year-old beluga whale rescued from a closed marine park in Canada, died at Shedd Aquarium on Tuesday, staff announced in a post.

She was blind in one eye but had little trouble socializing, according to the post. The whale wasn’t consistently eating her full diet, Shedd said, and blood samples taken Tuesday showed she was dehydrated and needed “supportive care.” Peekachu died suddenly that night while aquarium staff cared for her.

More details on her death weren’t available yet, according to the post, but Shedd planned to share an update as soon as possible following a medical examination.

The whale was one of eight belugas brought to Shedd from Marineland of Canada, a closed marine park in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The park’s owners threatened to euthanize 30 whales, according to a previous Shedd news release.

Facilities across the U.S. and Spain plan to rescue all of them, according to the news release. A Shedd spokesperson confirmed Wednesday the aquarium still plans to rehome two additional belugas, bringing the facility’s total to 17.

This isn’t the first time belugas transferred from Marineland died at a facility in the U.S. Three whales brought to Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut, in 2021 died afterward. A representative for the aquarium previously told the Tribune in an email that the deaths were due to preexisting conditions undetectable in live animals.

Canadian nonprofit Animal Justice said in a news release the death of Peekachu seemed to be a “direct consequence” of transporting her in compromised health. Canadian officials appeared to have rushed export permits after Marineland of Canada’s owners threatened to euthanize the whales, according to the news release.

“Peekachu’s death is devastating but not surprising,” Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy, said in the release. “Transporting sick belugas is a death sentence for those animals, yet the Canadian government has apparently signed off on export permits for all 30 Marineland whales without ensuring they were healthy enough to withstand the stress of transport.”

Beluga whales are found globally in Arctic and sub-Arctic waters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Many are near Alaska.

Some beluga populations are listed as endangered or depleted. Weighing an average of 3,150 pounds, the whales have been hunted for subsistence, commerce and sport.

In late July, Karisa Tang, lead veterinarian and vice president of animal health at Shedd Aquarium, said the remaining two belugas would be rescued within the next several weeks. Staff previously declined to provide a more specific timeline on when those rescues might take place or when the whales would be visible to the public.