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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

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

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better health care and constant attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate 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 “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

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

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, 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 primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|