Harmony’s arrival to Shedd brought joy and light to an unparalleled moment in our history. She embodied the innate connection, respect and fascination with nature inside of us all.
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Born at Shedd in August 2020, Harmony became a bright, hopeful presence as our staff and community sheltered from a global pandemic. Months later, over 25,000 fourth grade students in Chicago chose her name through an initiative that helped students, teachers and families navigate an unprecedented year of learning from home.
The name they overwhelmingly selected represented togetherness and the vision that we strive to achieve: the balance of humans and animals living in harmony on our shared blue planet.
Learners across the city engaged with online resources, activities and some even participated in a virtual field trip to meet the dolphin they helped name while speaking with experts that care for the pod.
For many young learners, Harmony may have been their first direct connection to marine life. For millions more who later visited Shedd, Harmony provided the rare opportunity to experience, observe and form a relationship with a species that they would likely never see otherwise.
“One day, I was stopped by a young guest who was quizzing me on ‘who’s who’ from the dolphin pod. When I finally landed on Harmony, the girl lit up and gleefully exclaimed how she helped name her,” said Charlie Jacobsma, director of animal behavior and training. “At the end of the day, that’s what the aquarium is all about. Harmony reminds us all why caring for animals, advancing aquatic science and inspiring the future conservationists is at the heart of our work.”
Harmony was the only dolphin at the aquarium with long, bright white marks above her eyes, which is known as a color morph, that could make her more easily identifiable to guests. She was often seen spending time with Kri and Munchkin or sharing toys with Makoa.
In late May, Harmony’s caretakers noticed small changes in her behavior that prompted a move to a medical space behind the scenes, where our experts could run diagnostic tests, administer treatment and keep a closer eye on her. Despite this quick response, Harmony’s condition deteriorated quickly, and she passed away suddenly.
A definite cause for Harmony’s passing was not yet known at the time, but a necropsy later revealed that Harmony experienced a sudden, severe and previously undetectable intestinal illness. This illness weakened her immune system and compromised her gastrointestinal tract, allowing bacteria to enter her bloodstream that led to her passing within hours.
Though these medical insights cannot provide comfort or solace, they do offer closure and grow our understanding and capacity to care for these incredible animals.
“While we grieve this surprising and emotional loss, we greatly appreciate the support of our community who were touched by her story and her spark,” added Jacobsma.
Harmony was an integral part of our pod and our daily life here at Shedd. Her immeasurable impact – especially on Chicago’s learners – will never be extinguished.