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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large 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.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“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 understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|