🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and 24/7 care than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|