Sept. 22, 2026Updated Sept. 23, 2026, 12:37 a.m. ET
A fourth beluga whale relocated from a shuttered Canadian marine park has died, renewing concerns about the health of the animals who were moved as part of a high-profile international rescue effort.
Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium announced on Sept. 21 that Osiris, a 26-year-old female beluga rescued from Marineland in Niagara Falls over the summer, died after her “condition declined rapidly” despite lifesaving efforts by veterinary and animal care staff. The death follows the loss of another relocated beluga, Jelly Bean, at Oceanogràfic Valencia in Spain last week, and comes weeks after fellow rescued whales Peekachu and Rain died at Shedd.
Osiris was among 30 beluga whales relocated from the marine park as part of an unprecedented rescue effort involving accredited aquariums in the United States and Europe. Shedd, which received 10 rescued whales through three transports, has said the animals arrived with complex health needs that “could not be fully understood before their arrival.”
In a news release, the aquarium said Osiris remained a “whale of clinical concern” from the time she arrived in late July. Care teams reported periods of improvement in her appetite and social behavior, but said her overall condition required close monitoring.
On Sept. 21, care teams observed sudden changes in her behavior and breathing, moved her to a medical habitat and attempted lifesaving measures before she died, according to the aquarium. The cause of death is not yet known.
“Like many species, belugas can mask discomfort or underlying concerns that are not immediately visible,” the aquarium said, adding that a full necropsy will be conducted and they are still awaiting results from examinations related to the deaths of Peekachu, Rain and Beethoven, a longtime resident whale that died earlier this month.
The deaths have drawn attention to the challenges facing aquariums tasked with caring for animals transferred from the closed Canadian facility. Experts involved in the rescue have stressed that relocation marked only the beginning of a lengthy acclimation process requiring intensive veterinary care, nutritional support and round-the-clock monitoring.
Intensive monitoring of beluga whales at Shedd Aquarium continues
When the final two rescued belugas arrived at Shedd on Sept. 1, Dr. Karisa Tang, the aquarium’s lead veterinarian and vice president of animal health, said the institutions participating in the rescue understood there would be significant challenges ahead.
“Rescue is really just the beginning,” Tang said at the time, noting that the whales would require months of adjustment and assessment.
Shedd previously said several rescued belugas continue to show clinical concerns as they adapt to new surroundings, feeding patterns and care routines. Some whales are eating consistently, while others require closer observation and individualized support.
“As of today, some of the rescued belugas are showing more encouraging signs than others, but several have presented clinical concerns, and their health can change quickly,” Shedd said in a news release on Sept. 4. “None are yet where we want them to be from a health standpoint.”
To monitor the whales, staff track food intake, hydration levels, breathing rates, swimming behavior and social interactions. The aquarium added personnel to provide 24-hour observation of the rescued animals and has worked to build trust with the whales so they can conduct medical assessments.
Animal rights group questions relocation timeline, export approvals
The latest death has drawn criticism from Animal Justice, a Canadian animal rights organization that has challenged both the relocation timeline and government export approvals. In a statement released on Sept. 22, the group said the death of Osiris raises questions about whether Canadian authorities provided sufficient scrutiny before approving the whales’ transfer out of the country.
Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice, criticized what she called an “irresponsibly short timeline” for the relocation of the 30 whales. The group also alleged that the animals were moved as Marineland sought to redevelop or sell its property and said information about health assessments conducted before export permits were approved has not been publicly released.
Following Jelly Bean’s death in Spain on Sept. 18, Animal Justice said the transfer exposed belugas to significant risks and pointed to a previous 2021 relocation of five Marineland belugas to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, where three whales later died.
“Above all, these whales were failed by Marineland, but it’s important to note the Ontario government had the legal authority to ensure the whales received appropriate care,” Labchuk said in a statement on Sept. 19.
“And while there’s no doubt that Marineland’s threats to kill all the whales played a role in its decision, the federal government was under no obligation to issue export permits before verifying each of these 30 whales was truly in healthy enough condition to travel,” Labchuk added.
Aquariums participating in the rescue have said the relocation was necessary to provide continued care for whales remaining at the closed Marineland facility.
Whales, dolphins rescued from Canada marine park
Planning for the international rescue effort began earlier this year, after Canadian authorities granted conditional approval for Marineland to export its remaining beluga whales and dolphins to accredited facilities.
At the time, about 30 belugas and four dolphins remained at Marineland, according to previous USA TODAY reporting. The mammals could not be released into the wild because they were born and raised in captivity.
Shedd was among several Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions selected to receive the animals under the emergency rescue plan. Other participating institutions include Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego and Oceanogràfic Valéncia in Spain.
The relocation effort gained urgency after Marineland warned officials that it could be forced to euthanize the mammals if the export permits were not quickly approved. The park had previously sought permission to send the animals to China’s Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in late 2025, but that proposal was rejected.
Marineland’s animal care practices had faced years of scrutiny. At least 19 beluga whales, three seals, one dolphin and multiple penguins and sea lions have died at the park since 2019, according to Animal Justice.
Contributing: Saman Shafiq, Michelle Del Rey and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY
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