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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer discovered personally.

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

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought information of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The planned location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|