🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government pays for the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker observed directly.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and around the clock supervision than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a more general lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|