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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The prospective site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|