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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government funds the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer observed directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing 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. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, 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 natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and around the clock attention than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility thought details of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|