🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

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

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were shared to the press and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The planned location, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|