Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.
Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.
But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.
After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.
Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.
She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.
“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”
The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.
“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand bonding.”
Her relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.
During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.
The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”
The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”
The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.
The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and machinery.
“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.
Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.
In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.
“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”
But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.
“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”
As authorities attempt to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.
A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The future site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.
But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.
Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.
An official, director of the plan, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|
Astrophysicist and space technology consultant with 15 years of experience in lunar mission planning and research.
