🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|