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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities funds the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, 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 highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The planned site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the initiative, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive 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|