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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The planned site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

An official, director of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|