🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their characters. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|