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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

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

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|