🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities funds the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park thought information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a wider lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, director of the plan, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|