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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park believed details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|