🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical 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 personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a wider incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

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

An official, head of the initiative, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|