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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the authorities funds the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

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 links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the press and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

An official, head of the initiative, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|