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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a wider lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|