🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the press and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|