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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented 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 covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a broader lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The planned location, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|