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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

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 pays for the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant attention than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term solution for eight 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 trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|