🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, 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 magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for eight 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 untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|