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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a wider lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent answer for some 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’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|