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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual 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 taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|