An orphaned newborn beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) was rescued from the wild and maintained in a pinniped medical pool for ten days. The animal was tube fed with a highly energetic artificial milk formula, and received antibiotics as prophylaxis. Apart from a slight listing, the results of the physical exam, hematology and serum biochemistry were rather constant except for the last few days before death. The lack of colostrum intake, as evidenced by the absence of gamma-globulins on the protein electrophoresis, shows that the animal had never nursed. Contaminants (Hg, PCBs, DDTs and Mirex) found in the tissues of the animal strongly suggest a transplacental passage in this species. The necropsy showed neonatal pulmonary atelectasis, a condition not previously reported in a cetacean that could explain the observed listing.

N.B.: A manuscript of this article was submitted to the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine.