🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious 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 very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|