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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

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

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|