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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize 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. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get 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|