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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed 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.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven contentious. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

An official, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|