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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

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

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|