#belugas

One: the four Belugas we just got were chosen to travel together because of their deep bond, like Hobbits in Lord of the Rings or something

Two: "I believe I Can Fly" playing gently in the background

Yes! I’m very fortunate to know several members of Kimalu’s team (which included 17 veterinarians in addition to their invaluable support staff*) and Kimalu herself! She’s a very sweet, very personable girl, and it was heartbreaking to hear she wasn’t doing well. For those unfamiliar with the case, Kimalu developed subcutaneous cysts around her blowhole that were causing her noticeable discomfort. It was determined that surgery was the best option for providing her relief.

The surgery itself was groundbreaking, but what’s even more miraculous is the anesthesia. General anesthesia was once considered impossible in cetaceans, due to their size and incredibly unique anatomy and physiology. For example, just intubating them requires manually dislocating the “goosebeak” (modified larynx that transects the esophagus) to allow for access to the trachea. That’s also why they can’t breathe through their mouth! Furthermore, they are voluntary breathers, and must be ventilated until conscious enough to breathe on their own again.

While general anesthesia has now been performed successfully a handful of times in smaller cetaceans, it had never been done in a beluga. In fact, Kimalu was only the second beluga in which anesthesia had even been attempted—and now, she is the first ever beluga to have woken up!

This is a gamechanger for belugas in human care (and maybe, somewhere down the road, in the wild). Now that we know surgery and anesthesia can be performed successfully, the scope of care we can provide them just got a whole lot wider. This is only the first step, but it’s a monumental one. And it goes to show the remarkable care zoos and aquariums provide their animals, as well as the contributions they make to scientific advancement.

You can read the full press release here:

Here are some pictures provided by Shedd, including Kimalu’s CT images:

*The veterinary team at Shedd Aquarium was joined by experts from Colorado State University, Innovative Veterinary Medicine, the Veterinary Specialty Center, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, SeaWorld, North Carolina State University, ZooRadOne, Indianapolis Zoo, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and Zoological Pathology Program, and Arthrex Vet Systems.

Marineland sources have confirmed that - thanks to the ignorance of Joanne Thompson, Fisheries Minister in denying their permit- euthanasia for 30 beluga whales is now on the table.

And has probably insulted the Chinese government officials that Marineland had been liasoning with to make a move work.

Marineland literally does not have the money to feed these animals. The deaths of these animals will be on Joanne’s hands if she sticks to this delusional idea that there’s any other option left.

She seems to be very happy to throw her hands up and say “it’s up to Marineland now”. As if she has no role to play. And tbh it speaks to a lack of understanding of just how advanced Chimelong is as a facility - but heaven forbid the whales do enriching shows while they live in one of the largest modern marine parks in the world!

And the organisations that clamour for a sanctuary that doesn’t exist are just as guilty too.

Hello, Sweethearts! I have new redesigns of some of my stim and fidget pals tab! I hope you enjoy and will bring home these redesigns - reminder that my entire shop is 31% off until Halloween, so the base prices below at the date of posting this are a little lower than usual!

Axolotl and Whale Shark Bracelet - $16 USD

Whale Shark School Bracelet - $16 USD

Rainbow Beluga Bracelets - $13 USD

broke in my new sketch book with a quick lil' sketch of mah boi❤️

enrichment toys and activities are very important for keeping captive Belugas happy and mentally stimulated! especially as these are such playful whales with high social and enrichment needs)