🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their characters. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and 24/7 care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The prospective location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|