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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

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

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a wider incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea 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 suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|