Peekachu, a 23-year-old beluga whale, died at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium just two weeks after being flown in from the now-shuttered Marineland Canada.
Prior to her death, she stopped eating normally and was likely dehydrated. A necropsy is pending. Marineland had severe, long-standing animal care issues that stretched back decades before it was shut down. At least 20 whales had died since 2019, and Marineland was convicted of animal cruelty in 2024 for neglecting three black bears.
Whales suffer intensely in captivity. In the wild, these whales swim vast stretches of the Arctic and sub-Arctic oceans each year, staying close to a pod they may spend their whole lives with and communicating through an elaborate repertoire of clicks, whistles, and chirps. In aquariums and zoos, beluga whales are confined to small, concrete pools and separated from their families.
Belugas moved out of Marineland have a track record of dying soon after transport. Peekachu joins a growing list: Kharabali, who died at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut two years after her own move from Marineland; Havok, who lasted less than three months at Mystic before dying; and Havana, who died at the same aquarium six months after him.
If you love marine mammals, skip aquariums and zoos, and view whales in the wild.
