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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. 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 extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a wider lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province 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. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get 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|