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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, 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 wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official turned down a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats 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 authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The planned site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

An official, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|