🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often fails to consider 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 Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the government covers the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

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

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea 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 proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|