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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and 24/7 supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|