In a medical and scientific breakthrough, a team of nearly 30 experts from across the U.S. gathered at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and performed surgery on 12-year-old Kimalu the Beluga. Her handlers first noticed lumps near her blowhole during a routine check-in. Upon reviewing her CT scan, they found a network of cysts on her head and neck and decided surgery was her best option.
Being the first surgery of its kind, the team had to develop a new protocol based on their knowledge of other animal operations. The aquarium assembled expertise from scientists who had previously worked on elephants and rhinos to address Kimalu’s 1,000-pound weight and unique anatomy. Still, it would be impossible to know how her body would handle anesthesia. The fear of her not waking up was very real, even if the surgery went smoothly.
Kimalu was placed under general anesthesia for over two hours on July 1, 2025. When the time came and the anesthesia was reversed, the team cleverly used belugas’ primary sense of hearing to attempt to wake her. They played pre-recorded sounds from her pod and had her caretakers speak to her. In a huge sigh of relief, they were successful. The beloved beluga final awoke and was ready to return to the water.
Kimalu is constantly under surveillance and taken care of by humans and also has a beluga friend to keep her comfortable and socially engaged. She is being given the most attention and the best care to improve her chances of making a full recovery.
Meet Kimalu, a beluga whale who recently had to undergo an unprecedented surgery.
Photo: © Shedd Aquarium / Brenna Hernandez
During a routine check-up, Shedd Aquarium staff discovered cysts near her neck, and surgery was the only option.
Photo: © Shedd Aquarium / Brenna Hernandez
Photo: © Shedd Aquarium / Brenna Hernandez
Since there was no precedent for this kind of procedure on belugas, the team had to come up with their own.
Photo: © Shedd Aquarium / Brenna Hernandez
Photo: © Shedd Aquarium / Brenna Hernandez
After a successful surgery, she was gently awoken by the voices of her lifelong caretakers and recordings of her pod.
Photo: © Shedd Aquarium / Brenna Hernandez
Watch Kimalu’s touching story on the local news in Chicago.
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Source: Beluga whale at Shedd Aquarium becomes first in the world to recover from general anesthesia after successful surgery
All images via Shedd Aquarium.
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