The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.
A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.
But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.
After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.
Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker observed personally.
Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the marine predators.
“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”
Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.
“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive connection.”
Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.
During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.
The park did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”
The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”
The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.
The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. 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 plans to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.
“It’s impossible in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.
She backs demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.
In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.
“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”
But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.
“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”
As decision makers attempt to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.
A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven contentious. The future facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.
But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.
Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the near future.
An official, leader of the plan, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|
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