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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

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

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

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

“Granting the request would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|