🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships 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 reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and quirks in their personalities. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the death were leaked to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|