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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better health care and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected information of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a request to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|