🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the government covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer 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 Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

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

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle 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 important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|