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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

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

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant care than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The future location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|