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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure 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 exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and constant supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

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