A THIRD rescued beluga whale, Osiris, has died at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium after being moved from shuttered Canadian park Marineland
From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026 · last updated 24 September 2026.
Osiris, the third rescued Marineland beluga to die at Shedd Aquarium in weeks, was 26 years old when she died Monday after rapid deterioration despite intensive veterinary care.
Osiris, a 26-year-old female beluga flagged as a 'whale of clinical concern' from her arrival, died Monday morning after Shedd Aquarium staff observed sudden shifts in her behaviour and breathing. She was one of 10 belugas transferred to Shedd from Marineland, a shuttered park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, brought over as part of a broader international mission to save 30 whales that had been facing euthanasia.
Osiris is the fourth beluga to die at Shedd overall — Peekachu, Rain and long-term resident Beethoven all passed away in recent weeks.
A fourth rescued beluga, Jelly Bean, also died last week at Oceanogràfic Valencia in Spain after being relocated there, bringing the total number of deaths tied to the rescue effort to five.
Marineland faced the prospect of euthanising the whales after its funds were exhausted; twenty whales had already died at the park between 2019 and the beginning of the rescue.
