🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and 24/7 supervision than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

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

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number 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’ future.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|