🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|