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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and 24/7 attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued life in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|