🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the incident were shared to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the site will replicate 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 fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|