3 beluga whale deaths at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium prompt questions from animal behavior specialist
Recently rescued Beluga Whale dies at Shedd Aquarium
Two Beluga whales die at Shedd Aquarium, bringing the total to three including one recently rescued.
CHICAGO - The recent deaths of three beluga whales at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium have prompted questions from an animal behavior specialist as the aquarium continues its investigation.
On Wednesday, Shedd announced that Rain, a 20-year-old beluga rescued from the closed Marineland marine park in Ontario, Canada, and Beethoven, a 34-year-old resident beluga, died despite immediate lifesaving measures.
Nearly a week earlier, Peekachu, another rescued beluga from Marineland, died unexpectedly.
The causes of death have not been released. Shedd said necropsies, blood tests and additional examinations are underway to help determine what led to the whales' deaths. The aquarium also said it will continue around-the-clock monitoring and evaluating its entire beluga population in the coming days and weeks.
Animal behavior specialist weighs in
What they're saying:
Lori Marino, an animal behavior specialist with The Whale Sanctuary, joined ChicagoLIVE on Thursday afternoon and said she has questions about what may have contributed to the whales' deaths.
"It does lead us to question the condition that Peekachu and Rain were in when they left and Marineland, but also remember that Beethoven, who is a beluga who has been in Shedd for many years, also passed away. So that also leads us to think that there might be something more going on," said Marino. "The problem is that living in these concrete tanks is so stressful to these animals and there has been no transparency regarding the health of these animals as they were transferred from Marineland to these other facilities. So we've been kept in the dark about what the health to these animal says, and it's only now coming out that they are dying and we really need to demand that we have some answers here before more animals die."
Shedd has said that necropsies, blood tests and additional exams are underway to help better understand what has led to the belugas' deaths.
"Some answers may come quickly while others may take more time to come into focus. 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," Shedd officials said Wednesday night.
The aquarium said rescuing the belugas was necessary because the approximately 30 whales remaining at Marineland had nowhere else to go and Shedd and its partners were asked to intervene.
"Helping these animals in need is part of Shedd’s responsibility, and our commitment to these whales and their second chance remains unchanged. We appreciate the outpouring of support from so many others who are equally committed to animal welfare," the aquarium said in part.
Marino, who said she has studied belugas for more than 35 years, said she believes there are two possible explanations for the deaths.
"I think there's two possibilities. One is that the stress of all of these changes occurring in the tank led to Beethoven's death, and it may lead to more. I mean, it's a very small tank. They've introduced a lot of new animals. It's just too much for them, and they're already stressed from living in that situation. So that could have been one of the factors. The other could be that there was a pathogen that was brought from Marineland and introduced into the tank. I hope that's not the case, but it is a possibility," Marino said.
Marino said she believes belugas are better suited for coastal sanctuaries than aquarium tanks.
"These deaths could have been prevented by not keeping those animals in concrete tanks and breeding them over and over again to make more individuals who suffer in concrete tanks. So absolutely these deaths could be prevented. They could be prevented by not doing what these facilities are doing to them in order to make money," Marino said.
Marino said The Whale Sanctuary is developing a sanctuary in Nova Scotia with more than 100 acres of ocean habitat.
"The best thing we can do for them is give them a sanctuary where they can have something like the life of a whale. It's still not good enough, but it is qualitatively better than living in a barren tank…," she said.
What's next:
Shedd has not confirmed Marino's theories about what may have contributed to the belugas' deaths. The aquarium said testing remains ongoing, and the causes of death have not yet been determined.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by an interview with Marino on ChicagoLIVE, a press release from the Shedd Aquarium and previous FOX Chicago reporting.