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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

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

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the media and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a more general misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for eight 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’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|