🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances 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 national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned personally.

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

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a broader misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven contentious. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|