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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

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

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the press and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks 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 park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a request to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|