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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker learned personally.

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

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The future location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|