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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution 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 untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|