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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the federal government funds the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far better health care and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park believed information of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

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

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

An official, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|