Beluga whale rescued from closed Canadian marine park dies in US
Osiris, one of 30 belugas removed from Ontario’s shuttered Marineland, struggled to acclimate to her Illinois home
TL;DR
- Osiris, a 26-year-old female beluga whale rescued from Marineland in Canada, died at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
- She is the third rescued beluga to die at the Shedd Aquarium this summer, following Peekachu and Rain.
- Another rescued beluga, Jelly Bean, died at Oceanogràfic de València in Spain.
- The belugas were among 30 removed from the shuttered Marineland amusement park in Ontario.
- Beluga whales are vulnerable to environmental changes and stress, and those native to Alaska's Cook Inlet are classified as endangered.
- Marineland faced issues including animal deaths and a drop in visitor numbers, leading to its closure.
- The Canadian government blocked the sale of surviving animals to China, leading to an international rescue operation.
- Many of the rescued whales have struggled to adjust to their new surroundings in aquariums in the US and Spain.
- Osiris was noted to be a 'whale of clinical concern' upon arrival due to inconsistent eating.
- Aquariums involved in the rescues include the Shedd, Georgia Aquarium, and SeaWorld locations.