🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|