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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The planned site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

An official, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|