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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits 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 national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. 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 gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing natures.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

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

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The future facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|