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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She backs requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a more general misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|