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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official 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 mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer observed directly.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far better health care and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|