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Shedd Aquarium welcomes 4 more rescued belugas from Marineland

By Cody King
FOX 32 Chicago
Chicago
Published August 13, 2026 3:08 PM CDT
Published August 13, 2026 3:08 PM CDT
Livestream

The Brief

    • Four more rescued beluga whales from the former Marineland facility in Ontario have arrived at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, joining four others rescued in late July.
    • The four females — Caspian, Peekachu, Rain and Secord — have pre-existing social bonds and will remain behind the scenes at the Abbott Oceanarium while they adjust.
    • Shedd’s animal care team is monitoring all eight rescued belugas around the clock and will move at the whales’ pace before taking the next steps.

CHICAGO - Four more beluga whales rescued from the former Marineland facility in Ontario, Canada, have arrived at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.

The whales are part of an ongoing rescue effort following the closure of the marine park. The four new arrivals join four other rescued belugas already at Shedd, bringing the aquarium’s rescued beluga population to eight.

Four more belugas arrived at Shedd Aquarium

The backstory:

"At the heart of everything we do, animals come first," said Charlie Jacobsma, director of animal behavior and training at Shedd Aquarium. "This is a big transition, so we are taking this process hour-by-hour and day-by-day, at the whales’ pace. Through our constant observations, we learn more about each individual, their personality and progress along the way."  

The four new belugas will remain behind the scenes at the Abbott Oceanarium and out of public view while they acclimate to their new surroundings.

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Shedd Aquarium welcomes 4 more rescued belugas from Marineland (Shedd Aquarium/Gavin Wright)

Their arrival follows the rescue of four other belugas in late July. According to Shedd, the latest arrivals are all females with pre-established social bonds:

  • Caspian, 27: She has darker gray coloring around her eyes and is described as a fast learner with a big personality.
  • Peekachu, 23: She is energetic and confident, with light gray coloring around her jaw and along the middle of her back. Her right eye is nonfunctional, but she is still able to navigate and explore her surroundings.
  • Rain, 20: She enjoys spending time with Secord and Lillooet and gets along with the other whales. She can be identified by her defined forehead.
  • Secord, 22: She has a long upper jaw and enjoys enrichment items she can move around the habitat.

The four will eventually be introduced to the other rescued belugas at Shedd: Acadia, Osiris, Sierra and Lillooet.

What's next:

Shedd’s animal care team is monitoring all eight belugas around the clock as they adjust to their new environment.

The aquarium said the process will move at the whales’ pace, with staff closely watching their behavior, health and interactions before determining the next steps.

The Source: The information in this article was provided by the Shedd Aquarium and previous FOX Chicago reporting. 

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