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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of 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 closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She backs demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|