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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “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 worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far better health care and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|