By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-09-03 21:33:14 | Updated at 2026-09-03 22:09:33
1 hour ago
Two beluga whales, including one just rescued from a shuttered Canadian park, suddenly died at a Chicago aquarium — marking the facility’s third whale death in just over a week.
Rain, a 20-year-old female who arrived at Shedd Aquarium weeks ago from the defunct Marineland park in Ontario, and Beethoven, a 34-year-old male who was a part of the aquarium’s resident pod for decades, died on Wednesday, Shedd Aquarium wrote in a statement.
The death of the two sea canaries comes just over a week after Shedd Aquarium announced the death of Peekachu, a 23-year-old female beluga who died last Tuesday as caretakers tried to rehydrate her.
Beethoven, a 34-year-old male beluga, and Rain, a 23-year-old female beluga, suddenly died at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium on Wednesday. Shedd Aquarium via APPeekachu was one of eight whales moved from Marineland park to the Chicago aquarium this summer.
The Canadian theme park shut its doors in 2024, setting off a massive relocation effort for its 30 beluga whales to save them from being euthanized.
“Losing any animal is extraordinarily difficult. Losing Beethoven and Rain so soon after Peekachu carries a profound weight for the people who knew and cared for them,” the aquarium wrote in a statement.
Beethoven, a 14-foot-long, 1,900-pound beluga born in 1992, was the oldest male in the pod and spent decades building connections with generations of guests.
Rain was one of eight beluga whales brought to the Chicago aquarium from Marineland park in Ontario. Peekachu, a 23-year-old rescued beluga, also died last week. Shedd Aquarium via APRain, who was “only beginning her story” at Shedd Aquarium, was easily recognized by her dark mark on her right side and distinctly shaped “melon,” or the adorable mass on her head.
“In the short time she was here, our teams were getting to know her personality and the relationships she had with other rescued belugas while giving her supportive care for her acclimation,” Shedd Aquarium wrote.
Both beloved sea creatures’ deaths were unexpected, and necropsies, blood tests, and additional exams are underway to determine how they died.
“What is also true is that Beethoven and Rain were two individual animals, each known and cared for in their own way. Each tremendously missed,” the aquarium said in a statement.
“Our animal care and veterinary teams continue to monitor all belugas in our care around the clock. For now, we are grieving two remarkable animals and holding especially close the people who cared for them.”
