🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a wider incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|