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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|