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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned personally.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with different personalities.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reveal a wider lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|