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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the federal government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The planned location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|