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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|