🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought details of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and machinery.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|