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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, 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 repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and constant attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

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

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances 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 confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven highly debated. The planned location, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|