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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the government covers the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant supervision than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|