🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven contentious. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers 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 sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|