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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far better health care and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|