🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park thought information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to send the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a more general incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

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