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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills point to they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed directly.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. 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 magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a broader misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The future location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|