🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism 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 toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|