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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the government pays for the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

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

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected particulars of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|