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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

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

“Establishing 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. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven contentious. The planned location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|