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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|