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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“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. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

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

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|