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Fourth beluga whale dies at Shedd Aquarium in recent months
Shedd Aquarium says Osiris, a 26-year-old female beluga whale, died after her condition declined rapidly, with a necropsy underway to determine the cause.
CHICAGO - Preliminary findings from post-mortem examinations of two rescued beluga whales and a longtime Shedd Aquarium resident are shedding new light on the animals' health, though veterinarians say the results do not point to a single cause of death.
Shedd Aquarium said its veterinarians, working with outside veterinary pathologists and academic specialists, found significant chronic gastrointestinal disease in 23-year-old Peekachu and 20-year-old Rain. A separate examination of 34-year-old Beethoven, a longtime Shedd resident, found several health changes associated with aging, including changes involving his cardiovascular system.
So far, the investigations have found no evidence of a shared infectious disease or common environmental factor linking the three deaths.
Beluga deaths latest
What we know:
Microscopic examinations of tissue and organ samples from Peekachu and Rain found chronic inflammation in their gastrointestinal systems. The inflammation was described as significant in Peekachu and severe in Rain.
According to Shedd, the nature and extent of the inflammation, along with changes to the intestinal lining and surrounding tissue, indicate that the disease had been present for an extended period, potentially months or years.
That means the underlying disease likely began before the whales arrived at Shedd and may have compromised their health.
Veterinarians noted that an animal with chronic gastrointestinal disease can continue eating and appear outwardly stable while the body compensates for the effects of the illness. A visible decline does not necessarily indicate when a disease began.
The findings do not identify every factor that may have contributed to the whales' decline, but they do establish that an underlying chronic disease was present.
Shedd also said food intake alone cannot show how effectively an animal is digesting food or absorbing nutrients and water.
Foreign materials found in Peekachu's stomach
Dig deeper:
Peekachu's examination also found several foreign materials in her stomach, including bird feathers, sticks and large, porous rocks.
Shedd said Peekachu could not have ingested those materials while at the aquarium and that they are believed to have been present before her rescue.
Pathologists also found small flecks of material in Rain's stomach that may be paint, although they did not find the larger foreign materials discovered in Peekachu.
Shedd said it does not believe the foreign materials were directly related to either whale's death.
The findings are nevertheless being considered as part of the broader effort to understand the health histories of the rescued whales and potential gastrointestinal issues.
Belugas arrived with complex health histories
The backstory:
Peekachu and Rain were rescued from Marineland, where provincial authorities had repeatedly documented environmental concerns, including orders involving marine mammal life-support systems and water-quality requirements.
Shedd said those records do not establish what caused the gastrointestinal disease found in the two whales.
However, the aquarium said the records were part of the broader context in which it understood that some of the rescued whales could arrive with serious, long-standing health problems that could not be fully assessed before their rescue.
Shedd also expressed gratitude to Marineland's animal care professionals, saying they continued caring for the whales through increasingly difficult circumstances as financial resources declined and worked with Shedd beginning in January to plan the rescue transfer.
Beethoven's findings point to age-related changes
Beethoven's examination revealed a different set of health findings.
The 34-year-old beluga had several changes associated with aging, including changes affecting his cardiovascular system. Shedd veterinarians and outside specialists are continuing to evaluate those findings to determine the extent of the conditions and how they may have interacted.
That work is expected to help veterinarians better understand what contributed to Beethoven's death.
Findings are guiding care for rescued whales
What's next:
Shedd said its teams had already begun treatments aimed at easing suspected gastrointestinal irritation in the rescued belugas based on their behavior and inconsistent appetites.
The findings from Peekachu and Rain provide additional clinical support for continuing that care when appropriate.
Veterinarians are closely monitoring the remaining whales' food intake, hydration, behavior and gastrointestinal indicators, including the frequency and consistency of their bowel movements.
Shedd said Secord and Caspian remain the whales of greatest clinical concern, with teams monitoring them and the other rescued belugas around the clock.
Investigation continues
Shedd said additional analyses involving Peekachu, Rain and Beethoven remain underway and that it plans to share findings when they materially add to the understanding of their health or deaths.
The aquarium is also conducting a separate necropsy investigation into Osiris, who died earlier in the week. Shedd said it will not assume Osiris' findings are the same as those of the other whales and will evaluate her health history, clinical records and examination results independently.
The Source: The information in this report came from Shedd Aquarium's preliminary post-mortem examination findings, including statements from Shedd veterinarians, outside veterinary pathologists and academic clinical specialists, as well as previously reported information about the beluga deaths.