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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government covers the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

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

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and constant attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|