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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

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

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant care than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a more general incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people 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 realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven contentious. The prospective location, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|