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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were disclosed to the press and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|