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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome 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” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|