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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement 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 ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|