🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were shared to the media and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

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

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity 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’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|