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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the government funds the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, 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 affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their characters. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The planned location, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, director of the plan, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|