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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

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

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the death were shared to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely 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 straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution 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 trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

An official, head of the initiative, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|