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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any human in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a request to export the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a wider lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The future facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|