🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a wider incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|