🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

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

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the death were leaked to the press and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|