🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, 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 gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the death were shared to the press and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp 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 understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a solution, ideas have emerged, 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 primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|