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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities 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 food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|