The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.
Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.
But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.
After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.
Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered directly.
She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.
“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”
Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.
“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive connection.”
Her connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.
During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.
The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”
The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”
The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.
The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.
“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.
She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.
In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.
“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”
But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.
“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”
As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.
A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.
But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.
Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.
Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|
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