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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction 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 rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In 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 highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought information of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a more general lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp 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 comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The prospective site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|