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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

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

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a wider lack of awareness of the realities 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. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

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

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

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|