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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles 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 amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|