🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the death were shared to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a more general lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The planned facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|