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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their personalities. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and constant care than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a broader lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

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

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|