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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|