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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and around the clock care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a more general incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement 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 ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|