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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the government funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been most controversial. The prospective site, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|