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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer learned directly.

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

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 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 recent months following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|