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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|