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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far superior health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The future location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|