🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing natures.

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|