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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 care than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought information of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|