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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the government pays for the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that required 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 beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

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

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

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

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The future facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|