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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

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

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|