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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and 24/7 care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a more general misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|