Peekachu, a rescued beluga whale blind in one eye, dies suddenly at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium days after arriving from Canada

Peekachu, a 23-year-old one-eyed beluga whale transferred from the shuttered Marineland park in Ontario, died on Tuesday night as Shedd Aquarium vets worked to rehydrate her with medication and fluids. Blood samples taken that day revealed dehydration, but the whale collapsed suddenly before treatment could take hold. Advocacy director Kaitlyn Mitchell said transporting sick belugas is 'a death sentence', accusing the Canadian government of approving export permits without confirming the animals were healthy enough to survive the stress of relocation. The aquarium says a necropsy will be carried out and results shared as soon as possible.

Peekachu was one of eight belugas flown to Shedd from Marineland this summer, part of a wider rescue involving five facilities in the US and Spain.

According to provincial government data, Marineland has lost 20 cetaceans since 2019 — 19 belugas and one killer whale.

Three whales relocated from Marineland to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut in 2021 also died, attributed to preexisting conditions undetectable in living animals.