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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

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

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park thought information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|