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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the government funds the upkeep of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

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

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting 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 ocean, not in tanks 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 indicate a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven contentious. The planned site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|