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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|