🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the death were shared to the media and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

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

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|