🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far superior health care and around the clock supervision than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to export the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

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

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|