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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious 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 nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

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

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She backs calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|