🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“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 facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|