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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

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

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a more general incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|