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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a context of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the death were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The future site, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|