🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

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

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart 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 chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were shared to the press and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The future site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|