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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, 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 very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks indicate a broader incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp 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 realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|