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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, 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 extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

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

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and constant attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term answer 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 “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|