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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. 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 even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and around the clock care than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She supports requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|