🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a more general lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|