CALGARY — Four beluga whales once housed at Marineland have died within weeks of being relocated to new aquariums — and while their deaths occurred thousands of kilometres apart, several similarities are beginning to emerge.Peekachu, Rain and Osiris died after being transferred from the shuttered Niagara Falls marine park to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. Jelly Bean died after making a roughly 20-hour journey to Oceanogràfic de València in Spain.All four died within weeks of leaving Marineland.The deaths have raised a question that remains unanswered: What actually killed them?For now, there is no established common cause. Necropsies and laboratory testing remain underway, and the aquariums have cautioned that the animals arrived with individual health histories and vulnerabilities that were not necessarily apparent before their moves.But one similarity has emerged in several of the cases — problems surrounding eating, nutrition or hydration..Peekachu, 23, was captured in Russian waters and arrived at Marineland in 2003. She spent more than two decades there before being relocated to Shedd on August 12.Despite having a non-functioning right eye, Shedd described her before the move as “energetic and confident.”Early signs were encouraging. Peekachu explored her new surroundings, socialized with other whales and began eating squid, herring and capelin. But caregivers soon noticed she wasn't consistently eating her entire diet.Blood testing subsequently indicated dehydration, and veterinary staff began providing medication and fluids. Peekachu died suddenly on August 25 — just 13 days after arriving.“While our time with Peekachu was shorter than any of us hoped, she made an immediate and lasting impression on all of us who had the chance to meet her,” Shedd said.The aquarium ordered a necropsy to determine what contributed to her death. The aquarium said Peekachu had made an immediate impression despite the short time she spent in Chicago.“While our time with Peekachu was shorter than any of us hoped, she made an immediate and lasting impression on all of us who had the chance to meet her,” Shedd said. “She will be greatly missed.”Peekachu's examination also revealed foreign material in her stomach, including bird feathers, sticks and large porous rocks. Shedd said those objects were surrounded by inflammatory tissue, indicating they had been present for some time. However, the aquarium said they were not currently believed to have directly caused her death..Rain, 20, made the same journey as Peekachu. She was captured in Russian waters and brought to Marineland in 2006 before being transferred to Shedd alongside Peekachu on August 12.Shedd described Rain as social, noting that she enjoyed spending time with fellow belugas Secord and Lillooet and “gets along well with all.” But three weeks after arriving, Rain died.Compared with the other three whales, relatively little has been publicly disclosed about Rain's condition immediately before her death. Shedd said the death was unexpected and that testing was underway to determine what happened.On September 25, Shedd Aquarium revealed that preliminary necropsy examinations had identified “significant, chronic gastrointestinal disease” in both Peekachu and Rain.The aquarium said veterinary pathologists believe the conditions developed before the whales arrived in Chicago.“Based on the chronic nature and severity of the disease processes identified, veterinary pathologists believe these conditions developed over an extended period of time, likely months to years, prior to their arrival at Shedd,” the aquarium said.Shedd said investigators had found no evidence of a shared infectious disease or common environmental factor connecting the deaths of Peekachu, Rain and Beethoven, a longtime Shedd beluga who died during the same period..Jelly Bean's story was different. Unlike the other three, she wasn't captured in the wild.The 19-year-old was born at Marineland in 2007 and spent her entire life at the Ontario park before being relocated.Jelly Bean and fellow beluga Cleopatra travelled alongside four dolphins to Oceanogràfic de València, arriving on August 27. Within weeks, Jelly Bean began experiencing difficulties eating.Oceanogràfic increased veterinary monitoring, and although she showed periods of improvement and remained responsive to caregivers, she died suddenly in September.The aquarium described her death as “sudden and unexpected.”A necropsy was launched with veterinary pathologists from CEU Cardenal Herrera University.Cleopatra and the four dolphins that travelled alongside Jelly Bean were reported to be progressing well, an important distinction when considering whether transportation itself played a role..Osiris, 26, was the oldest of the four.Captured in Russian waters, she arrived at Marineland in 2001 before being moved to Shedd on July 20. Unlike some of the other relocated whales, Osiris concerned veterinarians almost immediately.“From the time she arrived, Osiris remained a whale of clinical concern for our veterinary and animal care teams,” Shedd said.She struggled to eat consistently, making it difficult to maintain adequate calories, nutrients, fluids and electrolytes. Veterinarians provided supportive care, including fluids and medication.There were signs of progress. Her appetite improved and Shedd said caregivers began seeing her “commanding personality emerge.” Then her condition suddenly deteriorated.On September 21, staff noticed changes in her behaviour and breathing. She was transferred to a medical habitat, but died despite emergency treatment.“What contributed to her passing is not yet known,” Shedd said.A full necropsy is underway..Placed side by side, the deaths reveal some notable similarities.Peekachu wasn't consistently eating and was found to be dehydrated, Jelly Bean developed feeding difficulties, Osiris struggled with eating, nutrition and hydration, and Rain's condition immediately before her death remains less clear publicly.That does not mean the whales died from the same thing — or that relocation caused their deaths.Other Marineland animals underwent similar journeys and survived. Cleopatra and the four dolphins transported with Jelly Bean were reported to be doing well, while other relocated belugas in the United States have continued adapting to their new homes. There is also the possibility that health problems began before the animals ever left Marineland.Nineteen belugas died at Marineland between 2019 and 2025, according to provincial government data obtained through freedom-of-information laws and official statements. An orca also died during that period.Shedd has emphasized that the full health picture of each rescued whale was not necessarily known when it arrived.“Each rescued beluga came to Shedd with a distinct life history and health needs that could not be fully understood before their arrival,” the aquarium said.Andrew Trites, director of the University of British Columbia’s Marine Mammal Research Unit, told the Associated Press the timing of the deaths stood out.“Four animals have died so shortly after arriving in the new homes, and that’s what stands out to me as being surprising,” Trites said..The relocated whales also came from a facility that had faced years of scrutiny over its marine mammals.Ontario's Animal Welfare Services began investigating Marineland in 2020.In 2021, provincial inspectors declared all marine mammals at the facility in distress due to poor water quality and issued orders requiring Marineland to address the problem. Marineland denied its animals were in distress and initially appealed the orders before later dropping its appeal.Ontario regulations require facilities housing marine mammals to monitor factors including salinity, pH, chlorine and bacteria. They also require veterinary records documenting medication, abnormal behaviour, food refusal and other health concerns. Those records must generally be retained for five years following an animal's death.The province also requires a post-mortem examination whenever a marine mammal dies, with the resulting report reviewed by a pathologist experienced with marine mammals.That means there should be a substantial veterinary paper trail surrounding the whales that died at Marineland before the 2026 relocation..The emerging evidence makes the central question more complicated.Gastrointestinal disease occurs naturally in belugas and other cetaceans. Infectious disease, pneumonia, cancer, parasites, malnutrition and reproductive complications have all been documented causes of death in wild populations.But Peekachu and Rain's preliminary examinations indicate both were suffering from significant chronic gastrointestinal disease — conditions pathologists believe existed for months or years before they arrived at Shedd.All four were female. All four died within roughly two months of leaving Marineland. And three experienced documented difficulties involving eating, nutrition or hydration before their deaths.That shifts part of the investigation backwards.Rather than asking only what happened to the whales after they were relocated, another question emerges: What was happening to them before they left Marineland?
