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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|