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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the government covers the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|