🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

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

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a more general lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The future location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|