🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the government funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a more general lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|