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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years 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 park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

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

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp 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 understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|