🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the federal government funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and constant attention than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|