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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker discovered directly.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“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. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|