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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the death were shared to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a wider incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats 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 Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|