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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park believed particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven contentious. The future location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|