🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer discovered personally.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reflect a wider lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

An official, director of the plan, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|