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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, 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 magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and constant care than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

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

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|