🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the government funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock care than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a broader incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven contentious. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|