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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

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

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and 24/7 attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and machinery.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|