🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the government funds the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought information of the death were shared to the press and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a wider lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven contentious. The planned site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|