Kimalu The Beluga Whale Undergoes Pioneering Surgery And Becomes First Beluga To Survive General Aesthetic

Surgery is always risky, and when you’re operating on an animal rather than a person, the logistics involved can be pretty serious, especially when that animal typically lives in the water. Kimalu, a beluga whale, has just become the first known beluga in the world to recover from general anesthesia after an operation to remove cysts on the top of her head.

Kimalu has lived at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium for her entire life and is well known to the keepers who work there. This meant they quickly realised when something was wrong during her daily check-ins with the team. After performing some tests, the keepers decided the next stage was a CT scan, not an easily accomplished feat on an animal that weighs over 453 kilograms (1,000 pounds). The results of the CT suggested that surgery was the next step forward to help Kimalu and understand how the cysts had formed. 

“There is no playbook for anesthetizing a beluga and taking her into surgery, so we leaned on our deep understanding of Kimalu as an individual and our incredible network of experts both here at Shedd Aquarium and beyond to guide this procedure,” said Dr Karisa Tang, vice president of animal health at Shedd Aquarium in a statement. 

“Not only did we succeed in helping Kimalu, but we also made history for beluga whales along the way.”

The surgery was supported by around 30 experts, both human surgeons and veterinary specialists. Due to their unique physiology, including their squishy melon heads, it was not known how Kimalu would respond to the anaesthesia or whether she would even come round at all.

“There were moments when it felt like we were all holding our breath simultaneously,” said Dr Tang. “This experience is a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my career.”

To ensure Kimalu could wake up smoothly, she was surrounded by her keepers and even played noises from the rest of Shedd’s beluga pod to wake up to. She was lifted into a recovery habitat where she can be monitored as she recovers from the surgery. 

“Her recovery will take time and is still not a guarantee, but we believe this procedure has already provided great relief for Kimalu from the discomfort the cysts were causing,” said Dr Tang. “Right now, Kimalu gets to set the pace for her healing, and we will follow her lead.”

Elsewhere in the world of animal surgery, Tundra the bear recently became the proud owner of the largest veterinary crown in the world.