A fourth beluga whale rescued from Marineland of Canada has died at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, officials announced Friday. Caspian, a 27-year-old female, died after her condition deteriorated this week, aquarium officials said.
Caspian began eating less than her full diet, which officials identified as a serious concern since beluga whales depend on food for hydration and nutrition. Veterinary and care teams kept her on life support for several hours in an attempt to save her life, but she could not recover and ultimately died.
Caspian is the fourth rescued beluga to die at the Shedd Aquarium since the whales' initial arrival in July. The aquarium also lost a resident beluga, Beethoven, a 34-year-old, who died recently, likely due to age-related issues.
The rescued belugas that have died at the Shedd are 23-year-old Peekachu, 20-year-old Rain, and 26-year-old Osiris, in addition to Caspian. Two of the earlier deaths—Peekachu and Rain—involved chronic gastrointestinal disease. The whales had been ill for some time while at the closed Marineland facility in Canada before their transfer to Chicago.
The Shedd Aquarium said there is no evidence the deaths were caused by communicable diseases. Officials noted that the chronic and severe illnesses experienced by the rescued belugas were not detectable during daily care or before their transport to the aquarium. The aquarium's team is continuing necropsy examinations to uncover more information about these illnesses.
A total of 30 beluga whales were rescued from Marineland of Canada during a large relocation effort over the summer. Five of those rescued belugas have died in total. One beluga taken in by Oceanografic Valencia in Spain died last month.