🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the expense 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

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

An official, director of the plan, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|