Four beluga whales plucked from a shuttered Canadian marine park arrived at Shedd Aquarium early Tuesday, as part of an "urgent" rescue mission.Shedd officials have said that as many as 10 belugas may be coming to Chicago in the next few weeks as part of the complex mission, which involved transport ing the whales in water-filled containers both by truck and airplane."While the whales have arrived safely, a transport effort of this magnitude is difficult, and the aquarium cautions that experts expect to learn more about the rescued belugas’ health and current condition in the coming days," Shedd announced in a news release.All of the new arrivals are female, "chosen to move together in a sub-pod, because of their preexisting bonds with one another," Shedd officials said.“This moment marks the next chapter for these rescued belugas,” said Dr. Karisa Tang, lead veterinarian and vice president of animal health at Shedd. “Now that they are here, the full attention of our care and veterinary teams is on getting to know these whales and providing whatever supplemental support, care, treatment, nutrition and attention we can provide to help them acclimate to their new environment.”The whales had been living at Marineworld Canada, which has for years faced criticism that its animals were living in unsanitary conditions. The park closed to the public in 2024, and Marineworld officials, citing extreme financial difficulties, had threatened to euthanize the whales if permanent homes couldn't be found.  ...read more read less