🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|