🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and 24/7 attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|