🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the government pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility thought details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent solution 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’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|