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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

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

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a broader incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|