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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility thought details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|