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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, 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 struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and around the clock care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a more general incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|