Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

Twelve-Year-Old Beluga Whale Makes Amazing Recovery After Historic Surgery

Kimalu, a 12-year-old beluga whale at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, has made medical history by becoming the first known beluga whale to successfully recover from general anesthesia after surgery. The remarkable procedure was needed to remove a network of growing cysts on her head and neck near her blowhole, which required the complex use of general anesthesia. Scientists explain that anesthesia is particularly challenging for beluga whales because of their large size and unique physiology, making Kimalu’s successful surgery a groundbreaking achievement. The medical team carefully planned every detail of the procedure to ensure her safety throughout the entire process.

When Kimalu woke up from the anesthesia, her lifelong caregivers were right there with her, speaking to her and playing recordings of vocalizations from the Shedd’s beluga pod to help her feel comfortable and secure. The surgery provided immediate relief for Kimalu, and she is now recovering beautifully in a specially designed medical habitat. Her care team is monitoring her around the clock, focusing on antibiotics, incision site care, pain management, and post-surgery nutrition to ensure her complete recovery. This historic medical success opens up new possibilities for veterinary care of beluga whales and other marine mammals around the world.

PrevPreviousEngineer’s Brilliant Idea Gives Rural Areas Free Phone Access With Retro Charm
NextVolunteers Work Together To Heal Famous TrailNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

The 112 Year Old Christmas Tradition That Just Went Nationwide Online

December 25, 2025

The U.S. Postal Service’s Operation Santa program, now in its 112th year, has expanded nationwide online allowing anyone in the United States to adopt letters written to Santa by hopeful children and families in need and send responses and gifts on his behalf. What began in 1912 as a small

Read More
Happy News

How The Military Tracks Santa

December 25, 2025

Every December, millions of families around the world track Santa’s Yuletide journey through the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa Tracker, a holiday tradition that has grown from humble origins into a massive volunteer operation. NORAD’s powerful North Warning System features 47 radar installations strategically positioned across Alaska and northern

Read More
Happy News

This Is How NORAD Santa Tracker Started

December 25, 2025

In 1955, Sears Roebuck & Co. ran a newspaper advertisement in Colorado Springs with a phone number children could call to speak with Santa, but a printing error connected eager kids not to the North Pole but to the red phone on the desk of Continental Air Defense Command director

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 HappyNews.