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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer discovered personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

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

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|