🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and constant supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

“It cannot happen in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a more general lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” 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 answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The future facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|