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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|