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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with different personalities.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant attention than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|