Small Steps for the Rescued Belugas

As the rescued belugas continue settling in at Shedd, they’re becoming more familiar with the people caring for them. Getting to know each whale’s detailed responses, understanding how to communicate, and how to help them become comfortable with routines and behaviors that help support their care.

For rescued beluga, Sierra, we’re starting to see her become more consistently engaged with trainers, and they are increasingly able to ask her to present different parts of her body for examination. For the first time here at Shedd, that work has helped Sierra present her flukes for a blood draw and take part in an important eye exam.

Clear cues help Sierra take part in her own healthcare

We’re learning that touch is an important part of communicating with Sierra. Our observations, along with information shared by Marineland trainers during the six months of planning prior to the rescue, suggest that she has some more recent visual impairment, particularly on her right side.

At Shedd, her caretakers have noticed that she sometimes approaches them for a session but appears unsure of exactly where they are. She seems to use features of the habitat to help orient herself, while otherwise navigating well. Her team uses the same touch cues Sierra already knew before arriving at Shedd, drawing on that familiarity to help her understand what they’re asking.

Small movements against different parts of her melon, the rounded area at the front of her head, signal specific behaviors. Some resemble the visual signals trainers use with the rest of the pod, adapted so Sierra can feel the request. Practicing together has helped her caretakers learn precisely where and how to give each cue. She is now responding more regularly during sessions, creating more opportunities for our veterinarians to examine her and assess her health.

For her blood draw, Sierra presented her flukes, the two broad parts of her tail, and was comfortable with her caretakers holding them while the veterinary team collected a small sample. The blood was taken to Shedd’s animal hospital for analysis, providing information our veterinarians can’t gather through observation alone.

We continue to monitor elevated kidney-related values in Sierra’s bloodwork. These values can help indicate how well the kidneys are filtering waste products from the blood. Regular samples will help our veterinarians track those values over time, compare them with her medical history, and determine whether additional care is needed. Following those patterns helps the team distinguish what may be consistent with Sierra’s history from recent changes that require closer attention.

The team is building that understanding through other exams, too. Sierra also took part in an eye exam this week, allowing our veterinarians to assess the condition of her eyes. This care helps support her comfort and well-being as she continues to acclimate at Shedd.

Beyond these health checks, her caretakers are seeing a noticeable change in her social behavior. Before arriving at Shedd, Sierra was described as more independent within the group. She has since become more engaged with the other rescued whales and more integrated into the pod. Watching those relationships develop helps the team understand how she’s settling in.

Positive steps for Secord

For Sierra, progress this week meant new opportunities to assess her health. For Secord, an encouraging change has been in her daily nutrition: she’s eating more consistently. As we’ve shared in previous updates, eating enough also helps her stay hydrated, making that consistency an important part of supporting her health.

It’s encouraging to see, and we’re hopeful it continues. As many of us know from our own health, progress isn’t always linear or fast. There can be better days and harder ones along the way. We’re continuing to watch Secord closely through both.

Watching Caspian closely

Caspian’s health remains a clinical concern. Our veterinary and animal care teams continue to assess her condition closely and determine what support she needs. Each whale’s circumstances guide those decisions, even as the team works toward making regular health checks more familiar for all of them.

Care guided by each whale’s needs

As we’ve shared in earlier updates, our teams are continually weighing when a whale needs additional support, and when giving them more space to settle in is the right approach. Those decisions draw on decades of experience, what we know about their health and what they are showing us through their behavior and responses.