Nutrition, Hydration and Individual Care

We are grateful that so many people are following the rescued belugas closely and joining us in wanting the very best for these animals. Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue sharing regular updates about how they are doing, what our animal care and veterinary teams are observing and learning, and how that knowledge is shaping the care each whale receives.

This week, we’re looking even more closely at nutrition and hydration, and how understanding each whale as an individual helps us tailor their care.

What Feeding Tells Us

Feeding sessions give our teams a daily read on how each beluga is doing. As we’ve shared before, belugas get much of the fluid their bodies need through the fish they eat, so how much and how consistently they eat tells us a great deal about both nutrition and hydration.

Nutritional needs are also individual. A whale’s size, age, sex and activity and other factors all help determine how many calories they need each day. For example, younger, still-growing whales like recently rescued Yukon, 8, and Gimli, 7, will have different caloric needs than older animals.

Throughout the day, the whales are offered Pacific and Atlantic herring, and our teams are already learning more about their individual preferences and eating patterns. Some prefer one type of fish over another. Some tend to eat more later in the day. And because each piece is offered by hand, our teams can closely track how much each whale eats and how those patterns change over time.

Some of the rescued whales have been steady and consistent eaters. Others are still eating less regularly.

In some whales, recent bloodwork has reinforced what our teams were already seeing through their feeding patterns, showing electrolyte imbalances and signs of dehydration. When a whale is not taking in enough food, dehydration can place additional strain on organs including the kidneys and liver, making it important to recognize when additional support is needed.

Osiris is one of the whales who received fluids, medication and other supportive care this week. Early indications suggest that support has provided her some relief. Our teams continue to follow her appetite, hydration and overall condition closely as we assess how she responds.

These are just some of the individualized work happening across the rescued pod: learning what is typical for each whale, recognizing when something changes and adjusting care based on what we are seeing.

Learning Across Aquariums

That learning is also being shared across the organizations caring for the rescued belugas.

This week, Shedd participated in both virtual and in-person exchanges with experts from the AZA-accredited aquariums involved in the rescue. Veterinarians from Spain, the United States and Canada reviewed information across the rescued group, including eating patterns, bloodwork and social behaviors, alongside animal care teams sharing their own observations.

Together, these experts bring decades of experience with beluga health and care. Comparing what teams are seeing across animals and institutions gives everyone a broader picture of this rescued population and allows that learning to inform care moving forward. Some experts are also spending time at one another’s institutions, continuing the collaboration that began during the rescue and now extends into the long-term work of caring for these whales.

Belugas Beyond Shedd

Our work with belugas extends beyond the animals in our care. This week, members of Shedd’s team are traveling to Alaska’s Cook Inlet for Belugas Count!, an annual event Shedd co-founded with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to bring people together around one of the world’s most critically endangered beluga populations.

Cook Inlet belugas have not recovered to historic numbers despite years of conservation efforts and federal protections. A recent population estimate puts their number at approximately 331 whales.

During Belugas Count!, residents and visitors gather at viewing stations around the inlet to look for whales and learn more about the challenges facing this population.

The connection to our work in Chicago is a direct one: the same understanding of beluga behavior, health and biology that informs daily care at Shedd also contributes to broader efforts to understand and protect belugas in the wild.

Protect Belugas through the Endangered Species Act

This year’s Alaska event also comes as protections under the Endangered Species Act face changes that could make it harder to safeguard vulnerable aquatic species like Cook Inlet belugas.

Whether we are caring for a whale at Shedd or learning alongside scientists and communities in Alaska, the work is connected, understanding what belugas need and using that knowledge to help them thrive.