🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities funds the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

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

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists 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 witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the media and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|