Two beluga whales have died at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, just weeks after being rescued from a closed-down theme park in Canada, and only days after a third whale from the same rescue effort also died. The deaths raise concerns over the welfare of the animals, which were relocated as part of a major international rescue operation, though the aquarium says it cannot yet determine whether the deaths are linked or coincidental.

The two whales, named Rain, a 20-year-old female who arrived in mid-August, and Beethoven, a 34-year-old male from Shedd's resident pod, died on Wednesday despite emergency care from veterinary staff. They were among animals rescued from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which has been closed to the public for two years and had threatened to euthanise 30 belugas left in its care. The rescue, driven by years of campaigning from charity TideBreakers, has seen nine whales moved to Shedd, with others relocated to facilities in Atlanta, San Antonio, San Diego and Spain.