🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the government covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing 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 reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open 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 personalities. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|