🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over 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 even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were shared to the press and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|