Following the Clinical Evidence: Preliminary Medical Findings from the Losses of Peekachu, Rain and Beethoven
Today, as part of our ongoing updates, we are sharing important preliminary medical findings from the post-mortem necropsy investigation into the losses of rescued belugas Peekachu and Rain and longtime Shedd resident, Beethoven.
Shedd veterinarians, working alongside external veterinary pathologists and academic clinical specialists, have identified significant, chronic gastrointestinal disease in Peekachu and Rain and age-associated health changes in Beethoven. Reviews to date have found no evidence of a shared infectious disease or common environmental factor connecting all three deaths.
These initial findings do not always lead to one definitive cause of death. However, the evidence can still provide meaningful insight into an animal’s health, identify conditions that may have contributed to a loss and inform the care of other animals. We want to share what the evidence can and cannot establish, and how we are applying what we learn to the care of the belugas at Shedd.
What We Are Learning About Peekachu and Rain
Microscopic examination of many tissue and organ samples from 23-year-old Peekachu and 20-year-old Rain found chronic inflammatory disease within their gastrointestinal systems. The inflammation was found to be significant in Peekachu and severe in Rain.
The significance of the inflammation, the types of immune cells present and the changes to the mucosa, the inner lining of the intestines, and the structure of the affected tissue all indicate that the disease had likely been present for an extended period. These changes develop over time, potentially months or years, indicating that the disease began before the whales arrived at Shedd and compromised their health rendering them more vulnerable and sensitive.
The timing of a visible decline does not necessarily tell us when a disease begins. An animal with chronic gastrointestinal disease may continue eating and appear outwardly stable while underlying inflammation persists and the body compensates for its effects.
These findings may not isolate every factor that have influenced their decline, but they do establish that an underlying chronic disease was present. Food intake is an important measure of health, but it cannot show on its own how effectively the body is digesting food or absorbing nutrients and water. An animal’s condition can change quickly when the body is no longer able to compensate.
Peekachu’s examinations also revealed several foreign materials in her stomach, including bird feathers, sticks and large, porous rocks. She could not have ingested these materials while at Shedd, and they are believed to have been present before her rescue. Pathologists found small flecks of material that may be paint in Rain’s stomach. They did not find the larger foreign materials observed in Peekachu’s stomach.
We do not believe that the foreign bodies found in Peekachu or Rain’s stomach were directly related to their passing. That said, these findings are still relevant, as we have continued to stress the importance of regular nutrition for belugas and investigate the possible presence of gastrointestinal illness in the rescues.
Both whales came to Shedd from a facility, where provincial authorities had repeatedly documented environmental concerns, including orders to repair marine mammal life-support systems and meet required water-quality parameters. Those records do not establish what caused the disease found in Peekachu and Rain, but they are part of the broader context in which Shedd understood that some whales could arrive with serious, long-standing health needs that could in no way be fully assessed before the rescue.
We are grateful to the animal care professionals at Marineland who continued to care for the animals each day through increasingly difficult circumstances as financial resources declined. They began working with our teams in January to plan the rescue transfer and have continued sharing their knowledge to support the whales’ care. Marineland made the necessary, animal welfare-based decision to seek assistance from accredited aquariums, making this broader rescue effort possible and giving the animals a path to continued, specialized care.
What We Are Learning About Beethoven
Beethoven’s examination has revealed a different set of findings from those identified in Peekachu and Rain. A longtime Shedd resident, Beethoven was 34 years old and had several health changes associated with aging, including changes affecting his cardiovascular system.
Our veterinarians and external specialists are continuing to examine these findings to understand the extent of each condition and how they may have interacted. That work will help us better understand what contributed to Beethoven’s death.
No Evidence of a Communicable Disease
Before the rescued belugas moved to Shedd or our partner aquariums, each whale was screened for known communicable diseases. This helped reduce risk to both the rescued whales and the resident animals already living at each aquarium.
As part of the investigations following these losses, we are conducting additional testing for a broad range of fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens.
We have found no evidence to date of a communicable disease connecting the three deaths or requiring a change in how we care for the other belugas at Shedd. Testing will always continue as part of our standard animal care protocols.
Why the Process Takes Time
A necropsy, or a postmortem examination of an animal, moves from an examination of the whole animal down to the microscopic and cellular levels.
Our veterinary team and expert partners first examine each body system and individual organs for visible signs of injury, disease or other abnormalities. Many important findings, however, can only be identified through laboratory testing and microscopic examination.
Tissue samples are sent to specialized laboratories across the country for further analysis. Across these investigations, scientists are examining hundreds of tissue slides for signs of inflammation, infection and disease.
Each result must then be considered alongside the whale’s clinical records, health history, and observations from the care team so that our veterinary team develop the fullest possible understanding of the animal’s health at the time of death. That process takes time because no single finding necessarily provides a complete answer. Even when one definitive cause cannot be identified, the evidence can still reveal important information that informs belugas ongoing care.
How Early Findings Are Informing Care
Even before receiving these initial results, our teams had begun providing treatments intended to ease suspected gastrointestinal irritation in the rescued belugas. Those decisions were based on close monitoring of the whales’ behavior and inconsistent appetites.
The findings from Peekachu and Rain provide additional clinical reason to continue that support where appropriate. We are closely tracking each whale’s food intake, hydration, behavior and gastrointestinal indicators, including the frequency and consistency of bowel movements. This information helps us adjust individual care plans as new needs emerge.
No animal is where we want them to be clinically, but we are fortified by the incremental, step-by-step progress, which is often not linear. Secord and Caspian remain the whales of greatest clinical concern at this time, and our teams continue to monitor them and the other rescued belugas around the clock.
What Comes Next
This is our current knowledge given the initial results and additional analyses for Peekachu, Rain and Beethoven remain underway. We will share findings when they materially add to our understanding of their health or circumstances surrounding their deaths.
We are following the same thorough process for Osiris, who died earlier this week. We will not assume that her findings are the same as those of any other whale. Her health history, clinical records and examination results will be considered independently.
For our rescue partners at other facilities, we are also saddened by the loss of Echo, a dolphin rescued from Marineland and transferred to Oceanogràfic Valencia in August. Echo arrived with known health concerns and was being closely monitored by her care team. Her loss is another painful reminder of the complex health histories of the animals involved in this rescue, and why securing a path to continued, expert care for them was so urgent.
Across every institution involved, the work continues with the individual needs of each animal at the center. We are grateful to everyone who continues to follow these animals closely and care deeply about those now at Shedd and in the care of our accredited aquarium partners.