A rescue effort to save Canada's last captive whales has suffered a setback. A 23-year-old female beluga whale named Peekachu died suddenly while being cared for at an aquarium. She was one of eight whales transported from a shuttered park in Ontario to the aquarium this summer.

The whale's death occurred as caretakers tried to rehydrate her. Further details about the incident are available from the aquarium. The rescue effort aims to find new homes for 30 beluga whales and four dolphins from the shuttered park.

The aquarium received four whales in July and four more this month as part of the ongoing rescue effort.