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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up 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 claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She backs demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a broader misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|