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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the authorities funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the incident were shared to the press and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize 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 comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|