🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome 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 leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions 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 raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The planned site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|