🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far superior health care and around the clock attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

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

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|