🔗 Share this article

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

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

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

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|