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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far better medical attention and 24/7 attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

“There’s no way 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 deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

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

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|