🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

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

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open 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 subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the death were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The future location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|