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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and constant supervision than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park thought information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“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. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|