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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a wider incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|