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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker discovered directly.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with different natures.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a broader incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, 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 key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|