Five beluga whales have died at Shedd Aquarium in less than two months, shrinking the beluga population by nearly a third

Five beluga whales died at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium between Aug. 25 and Oct. 20, 2026, reducing the aquarium's beluga population by nearly a third. Shedd Aquarium said the deaths involved animals ranging from a calf to older adults and did not share a single confirmed cause. CEO Bridget Coughlin said the aquarium does not consider the losses a crisis, while animal welfare advocates questioned whether the deaths point to problems with care or captivity. Shedd said it is conducting necropsies and working with outside veterinary specialists as it reviews each case.

Five beluga whales have died at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium since Aug. 25, cutting the aquarium's beluga group by nearly a third in less than two months.

Shedd Aquarium said the deaths occurred through Oct. 20 and involved animals ranging from a young calf to older adults. The aquarium said it has not identified one shared cause across the five cases.

Shedd CEO Bridget Coughlin said the aquarium does not view the deaths as a crisis. She said each animal was treated by veterinary staff and that the aquarium is reviewing what happened case by case.

Animal welfare advocates disputed that description. They argued that losing nearly a third of a beluga group in such a short period raises questions about captivity, stress and daily animal care practices at Shedd.

The aquarium said it is conducting necropsies on the whales that died. Shedd also said outside veterinary specialists are involved in reviewing the medical records and findings.

Shedd's beluga population stood at about 17 animals before the deaths began. The aquarium did not say how many belugas remain on public display or whether the exhibit schedule has changed.

Coughlin said the aquarium will share more information once the reviews are complete. She did not give a date for when those results will be public.

Animal welfare groups said they are watching how Shedd handles the findings. They called for full transparency about the necropsy results and the conditions surrounding each death.

Shedd Aquarium sits on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Chicago's Museum Campus. It is one of the city's most visited attractions and has kept belugas in its marine mammal exhibits.

The aquarium said it will continue monitoring the remaining belugas closely. It did not say whether any additional animals are showing signs of illness.