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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

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

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

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

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|