Beluga rescued from Marineland dies at San Diego SeaWorld, much like Shedd Aquarium whale deaths

Another beluga whale rescued from Marineland in Canada has died at SeaWorld San Diego, officials there said.

The whale's death is similar to the deaths of four rescued beluga whales at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium.

SeaWorld San Diego officials said the 9-year-old male beluga, Cyprus, stopped eating suddenly two days ago. They said an ultrasound showed his intestinal tract wasn't functioning normally, which "could indicate a serious life-threatening condition."

Despite their best efforts, officials said, he died. They will conduct a full necropsy to determine more about what led to the death.

Four beluga whales rescued from Marineland have died at the Shedd Aquarium, which released its first preliminary findings from their own necropsies at the end of September. Necropsies of whales Rain and Peekachu found chronic inflammatory disease in their gastrointestinal systems. The findings indicated the disease had been present in the whales for an extended time, and likely began before they arrived at the Shedd.

They also found foreign, non-edible objects in the whales' stomach including bird feathers, sticks, and large porous rocks that aquarium officials said could not have been ingested at the Shedd in Peekachu's stomach.

Shedd staff have said they did not find any evidence of communicable disease in the necropsies so far.

The whales were rescued from Marineland park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which shut down in 2024 after its owners died. When it ran out of funding to properly care for the whales, it warned that it might be forced to euthanize them if they couldn't be relocated.