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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, 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 care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The future facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|