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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|