🔗 Share this article

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the death were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a more general lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|