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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity 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 vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care 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 results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The prospective site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|