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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a more general lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers 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 natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

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