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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

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

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were leaked to the press and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|