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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. 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 shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought details of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|