At an aquarium in South Korea, one beluga whale forged a special connection. The only problem was that it was not with one of her kind. Instead, it was with one of the staff members.
Tina, the beluga whale, was so infatuated with her favorite caretaker that she would spit water at anyone who came close to him. And when he came close, Tina was always willing to offer her handler a kiss.
To test their connection, a female member of the staff asked Tina for a kiss, and the beluga whale gave her an unamused stare. When other male staff members said hello, she would dive back into the water with a grumpy grunt.
While her connection with her staff member was unusual, her anthropomorphic behavior was expected of beluga whales. These creatures are known for their intelligence and can mimic human speech.
Unfortunately, Tina could not continue to fawn after her favorite handler forever. She needed to socialize with other beluga whales. She had struggled before, but now that she had adjusted, the caretakers were confident she would do well.
At first, Tina did not know how to interact with the two boisterous male beluga whales. So, the members of the team decided to give the whales a toy they could share.
The toy was a hit! Soon enough, all three whales were playing together and having a blast. “I think they’ve become closer now than they used to be,” said Tina’s “boyfriend.” “I’m sure you’ll be able to see them all in one tank.”
