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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, 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 primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|