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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has been most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift 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 mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|