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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|