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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|