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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In 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 details and quirks in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued life in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|