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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed details of the death were shared to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a broader lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|