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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were shared to the press and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic 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 “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

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