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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

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

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and unique traits in their characters. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the death were leaked to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

An official, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|