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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing 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 shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and 24/7 care than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity 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 straightforward as saying ‘close 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. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

An official, director of the plan, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|