🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

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

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a broader incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|