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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term solution 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 “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|