🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive 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 request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park thought particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The planned site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|