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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The planned site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|