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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

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

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. 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 nonetheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a background 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 perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far better health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|