Shedd Aquarium’s first findings after three beluga deaths identify longstanding gastrointestinal inflammation in Peekachu and Rain. The September 25 report does not establish a single final cause of death.
CBS Chicago reports that the whales had come from Marineland in Ontario. Shedd announced Peekachu’s death in August and the deaths of Rain and longtime resident Beethoven in early September. Another transferred beluga, Osiris, died September 21.
What was found, and what it means
Shedd says tissue examinations found significant inflammation in Peekachu, 23, and severe inflammation in Rain, 20. Specialists believe it developed over months or years, before the whales reached Chicago. This finding does not establish what originally caused the disease.
Examiners found feathers, sticks and porous rocks in Peekachu’s stomach, and possible paint flecks in Rain’s. Shedd says Peekachu could not have swallowed those objects at the aquarium and does not believe the material directly caused either death.
Beethoven, 34, had different findings, including age associated cardiovascular changes. Investigators are still assessing their contribution to his death.
Questions still open
Shedd reports no evidence so far of a common infectious or environmental cause linking the three deaths. That is an interim finding. Further analyses continue, and Osiris is being examined separately.
CBS reports that samples are undergoing additional laboratory testing, with results considered alongside the whales’ histories. A result for one animal should not be treated as an explanation for another’s death.
The aquarium says it is monitoring the surviving rescued belugas’ food intake, hydration and bowel movements. Secord and Caspian remain its greatest concerns.
Sources
How we reported this: The findings are Shedd’s account of work with outside specialists. CBS reports the same findings and supplies the announcement timeline; it is not a separate laboratory assessment. Buddylio has not reviewed the underlying tissue reports.
