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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

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 particular love for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far superior health care and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a broader misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The future location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|