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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and constant care than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” 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 answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|