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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The future site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|