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

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered 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 dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The future facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|