🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that required earning the trust 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 open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|