Three beluga whales have died at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium in just eight days. Rain, age 20, and Beethoven, age 34, died on September 2. Eight days earlier, 23-year-old Peekachu died suddenly after showing signs of dehydration and not eating normally. Rain and Peekachu had both just arrived from Marineland in Canada, part of a mass relocation of 30 belugas after that park closed to the public. Shedd is still running necropsies and blood tests to understand what happened, and has said plainly that these deaths were unexpected.

What's alarming is the timing. These whales weren't sick for years and slowly declining — two of them had just endured a cross-border transport before they died. Kaitlyn Mitchell, Director of Legal Advocacy at Animal Justice, called it "an epic failure," referring to the pace of the Marineland relocations.

Two more belugas, Gimli and Yukon, arrived at Shedd on September 1, even as questions about Peekachu's death remained unanswered. Animal Justice has asked Canadian officials to pause further transports until the remaining whales can be independently evaluated — but by September 3, all 30 belugas had already been moved out of Marineland.

We're asking Shedd Aquarium to release full, independent findings on all three deaths, and asking Canadian officials to require an independent health assessment of every beluga still being moved before another transfer takes place. These whales survived one closure — they shouldn't be gambled with in a second.

Sign the petition to demand an independent review before another beluga is put on a truck — these animals deserve better than a rushed relocation.