🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the government covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

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

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

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

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

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|