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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the government covers the expense of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered personally.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far superior health care and around the clock care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

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

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats 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 ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The planned site, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|