Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium

25 year old female beluga whale Kayavak has passed away after what is seemingly an abdominal issue (likely the GI tract). They tried some novel procedures, such as the first CT scan, anesthesia, and abdominal surgery on an adult beluga whale. When it was clear that she wouldn’t make it, she was humanely euthanized. She was notable for being the first beluga whale born at Shedd.

https://www.sheddaquarium.org/stori...iJ5xJNmc37LTbswA4Q_aem_VVnnrvmYKt_FQ9sPLs211Q
 
BlobfishBoy said:
25 year old female beluga whale Kayavak has passed away after what is seemingly an abdominal issue (likely the GI tract). They tried some novel procedures, such as the first CT scan, anesthesia, and abdominal surgery on an adult beluga whale. When it was clear that she wouldn’t make it, she was humanely euthanized. She was notable for being the first beluga whale born at Shedd.

https://www.sheddaquarium.org/stori...iJ5xJNmc37LTbswA4Q_aem_VVnnrvmYKt_FQ9sPLs211Q
Click to expand...
That's the worst news I could've received all year. Especially with Kayavak's history
 
Northwest_FIsh_Keeping said:
The Aquarium announced on it's socials that a successful egg transfer between the Weedy Sea Dragons has happened, only the second occurrence in Shedd's entire history. Roughly 70 eggs are now being carried by the male, which will hopefully hatch in about 6 weeks
Instagram
Click to expand...

I went to check out the sea dragons yesterday and the father was nowhere to be seen. Just hiding somewhere hopefully? They did have signage up and a line blocking the front of the glass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JVM
MeiLover said:
I went to check out the sea dragons yesterday and the father was nowhere to be seen. Just hiding somewhere hopefully? They did have signage up and a line blocking the front of the glass.
Click to expand...
Definitely possible, I don't remember how the Birch aquarium handles their Weedy's but I believe they move them somewhere in the back so they're out of public view to minimize stress (if they're stressed too much, they can drop the eggs). Hopefully he's just somewhere in the back for now, would love to see more Sea Dragon's around. Speaking of, I'm not sure if Birch's recent batch were shipped off yet to other places, hopefully we see that soon
 
Had a great visit today despite a two-hour window, although another hour would have been absolutely lovely. Was fun to share the experience with a friend visiting from California!

- The weedy sea dragons still have the the taper in front of them but seemed active, saw three. This is my first time getting a decent look at the species!
- There was a sea lion who perched on land in the enclosure more than once. I don't often see them on land here so that was fun.
- To update from my previous post, the Birdeater tarantula was visible today.
- The Hawk-headed parrots were still off display.
- Still no luck by the matamata/caiman tank.
- One of the belugas sprayed my friend during the 4:30pm presentation and some guests were sprayed later! Cool to see this behavior, seemed unprompted.

A keeper discussed Kayavak's passing with some guests. There wasn't any new information to report but they seemed to be fairly transparent about both efforts made to help the animal and the relationship with the pod. I really commend this as I'm sure it's not fun to answer questions about this sort of thing and it's good to lead with transparency and honesty.
 
 
 
Two of Shedd's sea otters, Willow and Suri, are being transferred to the Aquarium of the Pacific to act as surrogate mothers for orphaned pups.

However, Shedd has also received an unnamed rescued sea otter pup from California (Otter 937), who is currently behind the scenes, but expected to make her public debut soon. Along with Luna, Cooper, Watson, and Seldovia, this will leave Shedd's raft with five sea otters.

Shedd Aquarium on Instagram: "Suri and Willow spent over two years at Shedd Aquarium in support of @montereybayaquarium's Sea Otter Surrogacy Program and their surrogacy partner, @aquariumpacific. As we say goodbye to the pair as they take the next step in potentially becoming surrogate mothers, we say hello to someone new who may one day become a surrogate too! Meet Otter 937 — rescued at just two weeks old off the coast of California and now calling Chicago home. Her journey to Shedd was supported by the @seaotterfoundationtrust. She’s behind the scenes for now, but we’ll keep you updated when she makes her public debut. On a scale of 1-10, how cute is the newest arrival to the otter raft? Let us know in the comments!"
 
So sad to lose a dolphin so young. Especially unfortunate for the population as a whole to lose a young female. Considering the quick progression from onset of symptoms to death, I would not be surprised if an intestinal issue was the cause of death. Almost all of these fast deaths in cetaceans seem to be caused by seemingly untreatable intestinal torsions. I could be wrong though pending results from the necropsy.
 
Northwest_FIsh_Keeping said:
The Aquarium announced on it's socials that a successful egg transfer between the Weedy Sea Dragons has happened, only the second occurrence in Shedd's entire history. Roughly 70 eggs are now being carried by the male, which will hopefully hatch in about 6 weeks
Instagram
Click to expand...
More than a dozen juveniles have successfully hatched! Growing up behind the scenes for now, it's the first time Weedy Sea Dragons have successfully hatched at Shedd. A very proud achievement from them
Instagram
 
Went today. I’m not sure if some of this has been reported or is (very) old news, but it stood out to me:

Wild Reef seems to have been getting some very long lines lately. Almost a 50-50 if I bother to do it anymore. The sharks in the mangroves have been removed. The cuttlefish have been moved next to the garden eels. Was there always a massive school of false herring in the main tank? I thought there were a lot more than I remembered this time.

Amazon Rising has grown on me. The gilded catfish is massive. Part of his tail was sticking above the water and flapping around. The arapaima are also fully able to show their size in the tank compared with other massive fish. The jacana, by contrast, always strike me with how small they are. The first tank remains entirely unsigned. I saw the birdeater out in the open but have had no luck with the centipede. I also saw the dorado successfully hunt a cichlid. The parrots were out but spent most of their time perching on a pole well above the viewing area.

Idk I tried the cafe again and it was alright. Better than last time. Still overpriced. For me it’s worth a few dollars not to have to go through security lines again.

The sea otters were very playful in the oceanarium. A few of the Japanese spider crabs were moved into the estuary tank, making the Tasmanian king crab the second largest crustacean species in the exhibit. The California sea lion was being really active which made her enclosure even sadder. Saw one of the amphitheater presentations in hopes of seeing sea lions or belugas. Got dolphins. It’s not a bad show. Just short and not particularly educational.

I liked Wonders of Water a lot more than the first time I saw it. There aren’t any real standout species, but the large schools of small fish provide a lot of energy. The reef tank is much better if you slowly move your gaze from one coral to the next rather than taking it all in as a whole.

No luck seeing the tiny fish in the small tank in the Great Lakes gallery. Still no bird or any other land creature in the land exhibit. Were the local turtles in the rivers / lakes gallery? Their absence was felt. That gallery being closed is really a huge loss, even if Amazon Rising provides some freshwater fish. I hope there is a worldwide freshwater gallery in some form at some point in the master plan.

All four sea dragons were on display. I don’t really have much else to say about Oceans. I like the kelp tank and the deep sea ones. The Bering wolffish are great.
 
Persephone said:
Wild Reef seems to have been getting some very long lines lately. Almost a 50-50 if I bother to do it anymore. The sharks in the mangroves have been removed. The cuttlefish have been moved next to the garden eels. Was there always a massive school of false herring in the main tank? I thought there were a lot more than I remembered this time.
Click to expand...
Weekends in the summer are the most vicious for this in particular, especially as people who don't like the heat tend to be more drawn to the Shedd Aquarium than a zoo, but in the long run it's more luck of the draw. A lot of times I go on weekdays in the off-months there are points in the day the line is short.

A few of the Japanese spider crabs were moved into the estuary tank, making the Tasmanian king crab the second largest crustacean species in the exhibit.
Click to expand...
This is a change from April I believe and very good to know for next time!

Saw one of the amphitheater presentations in hopes of seeing sea lions or belugas. Got dolphins. It’s not a bad show. Just short and not particularly educational.
Click to expand...
I usually bypass it for the Beluga feeding at 4:30pm instead. Have you seen sea lions in the amphitheater before?

No luck seeing the tiny fish in the small tank in the Great Lakes gallery. Still no bird or any other land creature in the land exhibit. Were the local turtles in the rivers / lakes gallery? Their absence was felt. That gallery being closed is really a huge loss, even if Amazon Rising provides some freshwater fish. I hope there is a worldwide freshwater gallery in some form at some point in the master plan.
Click to expand...
River Wonders and Living Lakes both plan to highlight freshwater species, with the former seeming to include a focus on an "Illinois stream" and mention of Blanding's turtles. I'm not sure where the turtles were before but going forward this is the plan.

It looks like the long-term plan is to replace the currently closed freshwater galleries with the new ocean galleries, and then to close and replace Oceans and Great Lakes with the new freshwater galleries in the next phase, with Great Lakes and River Wonders possibly being a bit more closely linked.
 
JVM said:
Weekends in the summer are the most vicious for this in particular, especially as people who don't like the heat tend to be more drawn to the Shedd Aquarium than a zoo, but in the long run it's more luck of the draw. A lot of times I go on weekdays in the off-months there are points in the day the line is short.


This is a change from April I believe and very good to know for next time!


I usually bypass it for the Beluga feeding at 4:30pm instead. Have you seen sea lions in the amphitheater before?


River Wonders and Living Lakes both plan to highlight freshwater species, with the former seeming to include a focus on an "Illinois stream" and mention of Blanding's turtles. I'm not sure where the turtles were before but going forward this is the plan.

It looks like the long-term plan is to replace the currently closed freshwater galleries with the new ocean galleries, and then to close and replace Oceans and Great Lakes with the new freshwater galleries in the next phase, with Great Lakes and River Wonders possibly being a bit more closely linked.
Click to expand...

I’ve only seen the dolphins in the amphitheater, but the digital signage had a picture of a sea lion and the website mentions that it could have belugas or sea lions. From the narration I overheard for the (full, no longer taking guests) show at 1:30 it sounded like there was a sea lion. Luck of the draw, I guess.

I’m used to going on winter Sundays and oh god I was not prepared for a summer Saturday. Brookfield is tolerable when it’s crowded because the small exhibits I want to see usually don’t draw the crowds. The facility is also so massive that they inevitably disperse. Shedd felt like there was never a viewing window, however large, I did not have to wait for. Well, five exceptions. The mangroves, kelp forest, estuary tank, the last tanks of Amazon Rising, and Wonders of Water. I still enjoyed my day. Spent about five and a half hours there. (Would have spent four but I’d missed my train and decided to get some popcorn and do another lap of Amazon Rising and Wonders of Water.)

I am glad to hear the freshwater galleries will also be renovated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top