CHICAGO (AP) — A beluga whale died days after it was transported hundreds of miles to a Chicago aquarium from a shuttered Ontario park as part of an ongoing effort to rescue Canada's last captive whales.
The whale, a 23-year-old female named Peekachu, died suddenly Tuesday as caretakers tried to rehydrate her, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium said in a news release. Peekachu was one of eight whales moved from Marineland park in Ontario to the Chicago aquarium this summer — four in July, and four more this month.
Marineland shut its doors in 2024, kicking off a race to find new homes for its 30 beluga whales and four dolphins before they would be euthanized. The Canadian government finally approved a plan to export the whales to the Shedd Aquarium and four other marine parks in January.
Twenty whales — 19 belugas and one killer whale — have died at Marineland since 2019, according to provincial government data obtained through freedom-of-information laws and official statements.
The complex operation to bring the whales to the Shedd Aquarium saw them hoisted in custom-made slings and held in temperature-controlled containers, aquarium officials previously told The ****** ociated Press. Their behavior and health were carefully monitored to the minute once they arrived, officials said.
#Chicago #whale
The whale, a 23-year-old female named Peekachu, died suddenly Tuesday as caretakers tried to rehydrate her, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium said in a news release. Peekachu was one of eight whales moved from Marineland park in Ontario to the Chicago aquarium this summer — four in July, and four more this month.
Marineland shut its doors in 2024, kicking off a race to find new homes for its 30 beluga whales and four dolphins before they would be euthanized. The Canadian government finally approved a plan to export the whales to the Shedd Aquarium and four other marine parks in January.
Twenty whales — 19 belugas and one killer whale — have died at Marineland since 2019, according to provincial government data obtained through freedom-of-information laws and official statements.
The complex operation to bring the whales to the Shedd Aquarium saw them hoisted in custom-made slings and held in temperature-controlled containers, aquarium officials previously told The ****** ociated Press. Their behavior and health were carefully monitored to the minute once they arrived, officials said.
#Chicago #whale
9 days ago
