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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

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

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|