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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed directly.

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

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant care than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions 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 constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|