🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She formed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and constant attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a more general misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|