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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the federal government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and around the clock care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a request to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a more general lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|