🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

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

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant supervision than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

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

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a request to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|