🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and constant care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a wider lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|