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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The prospective site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|