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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and around the clock attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the death were shared to the media and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a wider lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” 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 resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|