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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the death were leaked to the press and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|