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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication 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 open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and constant supervision than any human in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|