🔗 Share this article

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock care than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The planned site, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|