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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better health care and 24/7 attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|