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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, 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 embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the government pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. 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 nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and constant care than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|