🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered personally.

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

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were shared to the press and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reflect a wider incorrect perception 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 human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The future site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|