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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

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

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a wider lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|