🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the media and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff 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 prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|