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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the government pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She supports demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|