Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.
A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.
But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.
After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.
Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.
Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved earning the trust 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 wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”
Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing personalities.
“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view bonding.”
Her relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.
During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.
The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”
The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”
The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.
The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.
“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.
Burgess backs requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.
In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to export the whales to China.
“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”
But Burgess said the minister’s comments reflect a broader misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.
“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”
As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.
A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.
But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.
Some experts say the idea of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.
An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|
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