🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the death were leaked to the media and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

“It cannot happen in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|