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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer learned directly.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … get far better medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility thought details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She backs demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The future location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, 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 reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|