🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and constant attention than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were leaked to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a more general lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

An official, director of the plan, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|