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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a broader misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|