🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

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

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

An official, director of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|