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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and constant attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were shared to the press and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a answer, suggestions 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 northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|