🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed directly.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

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

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued life in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|