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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed directly.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 care than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

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

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks indicate a broader misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|