In news that makes Chicago’s heart hurt, the Shedd Aquarium announced over the weekend that one of their male beluga whales, Miki, had died “as a result of complications from a prolonged illness.”
Miki passed away at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, where he was living as part of a breeding program in which Shedd participates. Veterinary teams from both Mystic and Shedd worked together to manage Miki’s illness.
“Miki was beloved. We would do anything and everything we could for his welfare—and that of every animal at Shedd or in our colleague organizations,” Dr. Bill Van Bonn, vice president of animal health for Shedd, said. Van Bonn led the team responsible for Miki’s care at the end of his life. “The loss of any life is heartbreaking. Miki will be especially missed.”
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Miki was especially talented, mimicking behaviors of the dolphins and “learned to porpoise himself out of the water almost as high and gracefully as they do,” Maris Muzzy, cetacean manager for Shedd, said. Muzzy had cared for Miki for the last eight years.
“His passing is heartbreaking to our team, which loved and cared for him since he was born here in the Oceanarium,” Muzzy said. “We are so grateful for what we learned by working with him and to be able to teach millions of people about him who would otherwise never be able to see these animals in the wild.”
Belugas are listed as “near threatened” due to their “vulnerability to population decline in the wild,” the Beluga program at Shedd is “critical,” according to a release.
“Much of this research would be difficult or impossible to do in the wild, and having them in our care has allowed us to share knowledge that has made significant impacts for wild populations and their management,” Van Bonn said.
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