🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better health care and 24/7 attention than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

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

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp 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 straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven highly debated. The planned location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|